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Newly Weds #1
Sky's Bridal Train
You have a twin in America, somewhere in that western land. Find her if you can. Those are the astounding words of her mother's final letter and all twenty-year-old Sky Hoffman has left in the world. So she sets out on a journey across an ocean in search of answers. She arrives in America broke, homeless, and trying to escape the unwanted attentions of an Englishman intent on pursuing her. Her only option is to sign a contract to marry a man she's never met and join up with a wagon train of mail-order brides headed to the north woods of Minnesota. But with Indian raids, a sneaky detective hired to find her and bring her home, and the rigorous schedule of life on the trail, will Sky even make it to her destination? Can she find her family? And who is Russ Newly, the mysterious, handsome man who appears one night from the shadows? Sky's Bridal Train is the first book in A Newly Weds Series, which takes place in the late 1800s. Jump on the wagon and explore new territories with Sky, Randi, and the other women aboard the train as they search for love and faith.
296 pages, Perfect Paperback
First published May 24, 2011
3 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Margo Hansen
15 books14 followersMargo Hansen has worked mainly with children and young people through Christian schools, vacation Bible schools, Sunday school, release time, and church camps as well as homeschooling her own three children for sixteen years. Now a grandmother, she and her husband, Bruce, live in the north woods of Minnesota—the setting of her A Newly Weds Series and TALL TIMBER TRILOGY.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 31, 2016
I have officially found another historical romance series to love! Sky's Bridal Train took me by surprise and led me on a very enjoyable, sweetly romantic, and altogether suspenseful journey.
Sky is a young Englishwoman ... now an orphan. She journeys to America on a quest to find her twin sister who was separated from her at birth. However, a mysterious man and some sneaky detectives are trailing her and making her nervous. When all hope seems lost, Sky decides that joining a wagon train as a mail-ordered bride is her last resort. She's signed a contract to marry the unknown Evan ... but she's quickly falling for Rex, a man who isn't who he seems.
There were so many unexpected surprises in Sky's Bridal Train. Things that had me gasping in shock and grinning with relief. This story was a tangled, heart-rending one; a story that had you holding your breath and wondering how everything could work out the way you wanted it to. It held a joyous message of faith, and a bunch of endearing romances. Ultimately, it was a beautiful and wonderful story. I loved it.
Definitely recommend Sky's Bridal Train to any historical romance fans out there!
Sky is a young Englishwoman ... now an orphan. She journeys to America on a quest to find her twin sister who was separated from her at birth. However, a mysterious man and some sneaky detectives are trailing her and making her nervous. When all hope seems lost, Sky decides that joining a wagon train as a mail-ordered bride is her last resort. She's signed a contract to marry the unknown Evan ... but she's quickly falling for Rex, a man who isn't who he seems.
There were so many unexpected surprises in Sky's Bridal Train. Things that had me gasping in shock and grinning with relief. This story was a tangled, heart-rending one; a story that had you holding your breath and wondering how everything could work out the way you wanted it to. It held a joyous message of faith, and a bunch of endearing romances. Ultimately, it was a beautiful and wonderful story. I loved it.
Definitely recommend Sky's Bridal Train to any historical romance fans out there!
December 9, 2011
This book was written by a woman living in Grand Rapids Mn! The setting is a "bridal train" heading to Minnesota. Both the women and the men paid to be united...though they'd never met! It illustrates the lack of choices in the frontier...
February 8, 2017
Read my original review at: http://merikthorne.blogspot.com/2017/....
What intrigued me about this book was the series title, so when I won it in a giveaway, it was the perfect chance to read it!
Sky's Bridal Train tells the story of Sky -- a young woman whose mother has died, leaving her to the reluctant care of her stepfather, an English baron. But when tragedy strikes the family yet again, and a series of last words cause remnants of the past to come rippling back to the surface, Sky finds she must journey to the US. Armed with trunks full of dresses and a bit of spare change loaned to her by her uncle, she arrives in New York with little hope... other than that she has a twin sister, and she must find her.
Although it did contain a few stray clichés, I enjoyed Sky's Bridal Train!
While a majority of the female characters were portrayed damsels in distress, Margo Hansen's characters were still rather sweet. It took me more than one encounter with the main love interest before I began to appreciate him, but I disliked the villain as soon as we met.
As to the writing style, I'm not entirely sure how to describe it. It was neither particularly good or particularly bad, and while it was more than "just okay," it was just... there.
As to the plot, I was shocked when I read that certain plot twist, at the end! It was a very clever move!
I feel like the setting could've been expanded upon more, with perhaps a little more description of the areas the wagon train passed through, as well as some of the towns and encampments the characters encountered.
Still, Sky's Bridal Train made for a fun, adventurous little read!
You may want to know: There are mentions and instances of murder and violence, as well as kissing. It was also implied as to a few male characters' indecent intentions towards some of the women.
What intrigued me about this book was the series title, so when I won it in a giveaway, it was the perfect chance to read it!
Sky's Bridal Train tells the story of Sky -- a young woman whose mother has died, leaving her to the reluctant care of her stepfather, an English baron. But when tragedy strikes the family yet again, and a series of last words cause remnants of the past to come rippling back to the surface, Sky finds she must journey to the US. Armed with trunks full of dresses and a bit of spare change loaned to her by her uncle, she arrives in New York with little hope... other than that she has a twin sister, and she must find her.
Although it did contain a few stray clichés, I enjoyed Sky's Bridal Train!
While a majority of the female characters were portrayed damsels in distress, Margo Hansen's characters were still rather sweet. It took me more than one encounter with the main love interest before I began to appreciate him, but I disliked the villain as soon as we met.
As to the writing style, I'm not entirely sure how to describe it. It was neither particularly good or particularly bad, and while it was more than "just okay," it was just... there.
As to the plot, I was shocked when I read that certain plot twist, at the end! It was a very clever move!
I feel like the setting could've been expanded upon more, with perhaps a little more description of the areas the wagon train passed through, as well as some of the towns and encampments the characters encountered.
Still, Sky's Bridal Train made for a fun, adventurous little read!
You may want to know: There are mentions and instances of murder and violence, as well as kissing. It was also implied as to a few male characters' indecent intentions towards some of the women.
November 20, 2016
4.5-5 stars
I won Sky's Bridal Train in a giveaway, and read it in a few days. It was really good! Not only was it a sweet historical romance story, but it was mysterious and adventurous. :) It's a small book- a quick and enjoyable read.
I liked Sky, Randi, Russ, and Hank. :D Sky protecting herself with a hatpin was awesome. ;D And Hank's "accidental" destruction of some certain paper *snorts in laughter* My, that was funny! :D Russ was a great guy, too (probably my favorite guy, by the way) *sighs*. :)
This was the first book I've read about mail-order-brides, and it was interesting... and crazy! Imagine marrying a man you didn't know! And what if he was a creep? :P
It was kind of cool to have detectives in a historical book like this. :) I didn't particularly like Hadley's detectives though. Hadley was stupid. :P Ugh, seriously!
You know, many times I predict what's going to happen in a book- I have this feeling- and it seems it usually does happen. I did in this book... but I wasn't right! That was an interesting twist! I didn't realize what was going on until right before it was revealed. ;)
And the end! Ah, my, that was just the sweetest! <3 I do enjoy romances where it takes longer for the couple to fall in love- at least longer to realize it. Maybe because it's more realistic? But this romance was quite good too!
So if you want a short, but sweet and adventuresome story to curl up beside the cozy fire with, check out Sky's Bridal Train! :)
I recommend this book for ages 14 or 15 and up, and to those who enjoy historical (mid to late 1800's, I'm guessing?), wagon trail adventures, and romance. :)
I won Sky's Bridal Train in a giveaway, and read it in a few days. It was really good! Not only was it a sweet historical romance story, but it was mysterious and adventurous. :) It's a small book- a quick and enjoyable read.
I liked Sky, Randi, Russ, and Hank. :D Sky protecting herself with a hatpin was awesome. ;D And Hank's "accidental" destruction of some certain paper *snorts in laughter* My, that was funny! :D Russ was a great guy, too (probably my favorite guy, by the way) *sighs*. :)
This was the first book I've read about mail-order-brides, and it was interesting... and crazy! Imagine marrying a man you didn't know! And what if he was a creep? :P
It was kind of cool to have detectives in a historical book like this. :) I didn't particularly like Hadley's detectives though. Hadley was stupid. :P Ugh, seriously!
You know, many times I predict what's going to happen in a book- I have this feeling- and it seems it usually does happen. I did in this book... but I wasn't right! That was an interesting twist! I didn't realize what was going on until right before it was revealed. ;)
And the end! Ah, my, that was just the sweetest! <3 I do enjoy romances where it takes longer for the couple to fall in love- at least longer to realize it. Maybe because it's more realistic? But this romance was quite good too!
So if you want a short, but sweet and adventuresome story to curl up beside the cozy fire with, check out Sky's Bridal Train! :)
I recommend this book for ages 14 or 15 and up, and to those who enjoy historical (mid to late 1800's, I'm guessing?), wagon trail adventures, and romance. :)
September 13, 2017
Quick cute read
January 1, 2025
This was a fun story, set in Minnesota. I enjoyed the story of the bridal train, liked all of the characters and was happy with the end.
December 6, 2011
Bottom line:
Enjoyable Christian romance with plenty of mystery, suspense, and historical flair.
Premise:
A lovely young woman travels across frontier America in search of her twin. However, she is pursued by a man who wants to marry her against her will.
Likes:
o Several plot twists that kept me guessing.
o Just enough history to be educational and rooted me in the setting.
o Pleasantly surprised by the elements of mystery and suspense in this romance.
o Short chapters that made this book easy to read at night.
o Cliffhanger endings at many of the chapter ends that made me wonder what would happen next (and admittedly often made me read an additional chapter at night).
Dislikes:
o Personally, I would have liked additional details from a historical fiction perspective, but this book is primarily a romance, and the author stayed true to that.
o Strong promotion of Christianity starting about midway through the book. I'd found this at a book fair and had mistaken it for a historical fiction novel (though it's clearly marked as a Christian novel on Amazon). In a few places, I felt like it crossed the line of preaching to the reader, but lovers of Christian fiction will likely see this as a strength. That said, the sections where this occurred were limited and seemed to remain mostly true to the time period and location.
I'd recommend this book to Christian audiences who enjoy romances, mysteries, and historical fiction.
Enjoyable Christian romance with plenty of mystery, suspense, and historical flair.
Premise:
A lovely young woman travels across frontier America in search of her twin. However, she is pursued by a man who wants to marry her against her will.
Likes:
o Several plot twists that kept me guessing.
o Just enough history to be educational and rooted me in the setting.
o Pleasantly surprised by the elements of mystery and suspense in this romance.
o Short chapters that made this book easy to read at night.
o Cliffhanger endings at many of the chapter ends that made me wonder what would happen next (and admittedly often made me read an additional chapter at night).
Dislikes:
o Personally, I would have liked additional details from a historical fiction perspective, but this book is primarily a romance, and the author stayed true to that.
o Strong promotion of Christianity starting about midway through the book. I'd found this at a book fair and had mistaken it for a historical fiction novel (though it's clearly marked as a Christian novel on Amazon). In a few places, I felt like it crossed the line of preaching to the reader, but lovers of Christian fiction will likely see this as a strength. That said, the sections where this occurred were limited and seemed to remain mostly true to the time period and location.
I'd recommend this book to Christian audiences who enjoy romances, mysteries, and historical fiction.
September 26, 2012
My childhood friend's mom wrote this book and the series. I enjoyed reading the book, it was entertaining and fun to listen to my friend's voice through a story.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews