His Brother's Wife

Willow Creek #5

by Lily Graison

When Grace Kingston accepts a wedding proposal through a mail-order bride agency and travels across country to be married, she has no idea her bridegroom is a fourteen-year-old boy. There's no way she can accept his offer but with depleted funds, and winter coming on, Grace has little choice but to stay. Things go from bad to worse when she meets Jesse's older brother, Rafe. The attraction is immediate. He's surly, rude and downright pig-headed but he makes her pulse race with a single glance.Rafe Samuels thought to teach his brother a lesson by making him take responsibility for his rash behavior but one look at Grace and his plans go up in smoke. She isn't the dowdy spinster he imagined and having her live in his house and not be able to have her is the worst kind of torment. But putting her out of his mind is impossible.As fall turns to winter, Grace finds that living with the two brothers isn't as simple a thing as she once thought. Jesse still thinks marriage is in the cards, and Rafe is a devilishly handsome distraction she doesn't need. She can't decide if he hates her or wants to kiss her. And how does she avoid breaking Jess's heart when it becomes clear that the attraction between her and Rafe is mutual?

Genres: Westerns, Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Western Romance, Historical Fiction, Western Historical Romance

268 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2013

About the author

Lily Graison is a USA TODAY bestselling author of historical western romances. She also writes a variety of genres under the name L. R. Grasion. Most all of her stories lean heavily to the spicy side with strong female leads and heroes who tend to always get what they want. On occasion, she can be found penning ‘sweet’ romances with chaste kisses and wholesome values. Ever a romantic, she believes in love at first sight and has a tendency to fall for bad-boy romance heroes.

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Reviews

[SheLove2Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable and at the same time a little odd. Jesse needs a spanking and Grace needed her head examined for putting up with Rafe's mood swings. A disappointing read. 2.5 stars

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 stars*

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

His Brother's Wife is another fantastic book by Lily Graison. Still in love with the people of Willow Creek.

Grace Kingston is a mail-order bride but she didn't expect her new bridegroom Jesse to be a fourteen year old boy. She has traveled across the country and has no way of returning home. She depleted her funds to just get to Willow Creek. Winter is coming and Grace has little choice but to stay. Grace's day goes from bad to worse when she meets Jesse's older brother, Rafe. He makes her pulse race with a single glance but the attraction is immediate.

Jesse Samuels is a fourteen year old boy who is looking for someone to look after him instead of his big brother Rafe. He wants Rafe to leave the ranch and leave him alone with his mail-order bride.

Rafe Samuels returned home after his parents die. He returns to look after his family ranch and his little brother Jesse. The ranch is not in the best way. Its made worse by the rancher next door who is breaking their fences and stealing their cattle.

Rafe is going to teach Jesse a lesson about responsibility. He plans on making Jesse look after Grace but the mutual attraction between Rafe and Grace, puts a stop to that.

Does Grace stay in Willow Creek? Which Brother does Grace marry? Will Grace find happiness? Do Rafe and Jesse come family again?

I would recommend this book and the whole series.

[Lesia Chambliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story! Almost heartbreaking at times, and so very romantic at others. I love how the author brings together previous books in this series into the story. I feel as if I'm right there, I can feel Rafe's pain as he struggles to deal with his little brother and come to terms with his past struggles.
I really enjoyed reading Rafe and Grace's story. Lily Graison you did not disappoint, and I'm waiting for more from this wonderful little town of Willow Creek.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now im not normaly one for historical book unless a clasic but the blurb for this book draged me in and god im glad i had trouble putting it down so much for sleep well now im going back to read the lot so much enjoyed thank you Lily

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

Don't be fooled by the title of the book. No cheating here, just a twist of assumptions. This was a great read. I had a hard time putting the book down.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was honestly one of the weirdest books I have ever read.

A 14 year old sent away for a bride, and the would-be-bride falls in love with her sorta-fiancée's brother. And the three of them all live together. Ummm, yeah.

Although nothing physically or emotionally occurs between the 14 year old boy and the 26 year old woman, it does put off some icky vibes.

I'm surprised Amazon published it, and I am even more surprised that it hasn't been flagged and/or removed.

Like seriously??? Whadda read :P

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace Kingston sells everything she owns and embarks on a journey to a new land where she agrees to be a mail-order bride. Upon arrival in Willow Creek, she cannot fathom why everyone appears to be laughing behind her back. The joke is on her however when she learns that her betrothed is a 14-year old boy.

The love triangle between Grace, Rafe and Jesse (the 14-year old) was definitely unique. Despite the age difference, Jesse was determined to see this marriage through, if only to spite Rafe. Ms. Graison did an excellent job of developing all of the characters but I greatly enjoyed Grace’s character. She was very strong and independent. Leaving everything she knew behind, including her way of life, she embraced the challenges in Willow Creek and showed what a remarkable woman she really was.

The side story involving Jesse and Rafe was resolved too easily in my opinion. Great importance was placed on the conflict throughout the story but I felt in the end it was glossed over and a bit too neat and tidy.

Even though His Brother’s Wife is set in Willow Creek, this story is considered a standalone novel. Actually, Ms. Graison’s entire Willow Creek series is on my tablet waiting for its turn on my to be read pile but I can see after how much I enjoyed this one, they will be jumping ahead in line.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[April Brookshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part about this book was the 14 year old kid who kept referring to the 28 year old heroine as his wife.

I never understood how the heroine could be so attractive and from a large city (with lots of men) and make it to the age of 28 unmarried.

The hero felt sorry for himself most of the book, which was unattractive, but he finally put on his big boy Wranglers and manned-up.

[Stormy]

DNF at page 31. Thirty pages in, and I can’t stand the characters. This book is missing the magic of how witty and fun book #2 The Outlaw started.

Not really a spoiler, as it’s mentioned every other sentence, this story involves two brothers. Jesse, an incredibly rude and disrespectful 14-yr old redhead boy and his older 20-something dark haired handsome brother Rafe.

The little punk Jesse is tired of cooking and cleaning, so he orders a mail-order bride. He is so adamant that he is an adult now and ready for a wife, but had no clue that he would need to sleep in the same room as his future wife, or WHY he would sleep in the same bed.

So the two brothers go to town to meet the train with our FMC arriving. The older brother is rightfully angry and insists that his little brother is too young to get married. But…. so much is left unsaid. So many quick explanations or conversations missed. And off to the train depot they went…

So the FMC arrives, assumes cute Rafe is her intended. Rafe corrects her that no, the little teenaged pip-squeak is who ordered her. She’s shocked, tries to tell Jesse he is too young to get married, he gets pissed (because he is a 14-yr old adult, damn it!) But the priest was not in town, she had no money for a train ticket to go back East, and no one seemed to want to upset 14 yr old Jesse… so they take a long quiet wagon ride back to their ranch.

No discussion of how to go forward, nothing! They get to the ranch, the boys argue some more, the FMC cooks a delicious feast, everyone eats, no conversation again… yet this Rafe already has ‘insta-can’t stop thinking about her’. Why? They’ve had no conversations or meaningful interactions yet the author is trying to say he is obsessively attracted to her already? Rafe tells the FMC that since she cooked, he and Jesse will do dishes. Jesse belligerently stated that’s why he got a wife, so he wouldn’t need to do housework anymore. Ummmm, she wasn’t his wife, she already said he’s too young to marry her. But he keeps calling her his wife. Warning his big brother off because ‘that’s my wife’.

It was just weird. Weird that they had no desire to talk over the situation and shut down Jesse with his marriage ideas. The more I read, the more I pictured Jesse as an angry red-headed Prince Harry. The boy needed his hide tanned a few times.

Once I realized I was avoiding picking the book back up because of this red headed brat, I decided to DNF.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace Kingston arrived in Willow Creek as a mail order bride for Jesse Samuels only to find he was not as his letters led her to believe. Jesse is only 14 but his older brother Rafe is her age and so good looking. Everyone ribbing him doesn’t faze Jesse. She is his bride. Grace and Rafe fall in love and he wants to marry her. This leads to hateful insults thrown back and forth between the two brothers and Grace knows she has to leave. When Grace has a plan and they learn she is to marry their neighbor, the brothers join forces to prevent this from happening.

Grace knows Jesse is way too young to even think about a wife. He wants someone to clean and cook, mainly his mother. She and Rafe are attracted to each other but Rafe's heart has been broken twice and he is afraid to trust a woman. She tells him she loves him and then leaves. Rafe thinks she is just like the others. She has gone to town to allow the arguments between Rafe and Jesse to cool.

Their neighbor Ben Crowley shows Grace a letter written by Rafe's father giving Ben authority to watch over the ranch. It did not give Ben the Samuels' ranch. She tells Ben she will marry him if he will give her the letter. He does and she takes it. She has no intention of marrying Ben but wanted to get the letter away from him. She takes the stagecoach to Missoula. Rafe and Jesse find her and Rafe asks her to marry him. The ceremony is held in a small church.

Grace shows the letter to Rafe and Jesse. Neither think the writing is their father's and the letter is shown to a judge. Since the writing could not be verified, it is declared null and the judge orders Ben to return cattle taken from the Samuels' ranch. Why wasn't he charged with cattle theft?

Jesse acted like a spoiled brat. His parents died and Rafe had left right after his love married his best friend. All of the ranch work had been piled on Jesse's shoulders. He resented Rafe for leaving and he and his dad had to work the ranch. Grace understood he was just a child even though he did a man's work. He wanted to be with the other kids and she had him return to school. There, he sat behind Alexandra Avery who always acted like a boy. Now she is dressed like a girl and is pretty. He can't stop looking at her blonde curls.

The Willow Creek series is well written and enjoyable to read.

[Jamie Wagnor · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one was hard to rate

This book may have been the most emotional of the ones I’ve read so far, but also the most frustrating and that had everything to do with Rafe and Grace. Truly I felt more sadness reading this story than I have any others.

Rafe’s struggles with Jesse, his brother, and his own fears of putting himself out there to be hurt again was griping in a way I wasn’t expecting- but that was also why I was so frustrated. Rafe was selfish for most of this life/the story. What he did to hurt his brother was selfish and the fact that he was so disappointed and shocked that Jesse was angry with him just made me want to slap him until some sense came into his head.

Grace was much the same- only slightly more reasonable. She knew there was hurt and fear at the core of the problems between the brothers but still did things that were selfish. And then when all hell broke loose- well at least she admitted she had been self-centered in her actions.

This isn’t to say that Jesse wasn’t to blame as well, but he is 14 in the story and those two are supposed to be the adults. I will also say- the thing that made Rafe run like a little chicken- Jesse was right about that- years before is the SAME thing he does to his own brother- yet never really confronts that. Or looks at his past and forgives those that he believed betrayed his trust.

Saying all that, I will admit I did enjoy this story. The emotional punches were delivered all throughout this book and I felt for all the characters. I wanted them to get their happy ending. I liked Grace and Rafe together. I just wish the rift between the brothers was handled better at the end.

Frankly that’s where the heart of the story was and that was where I think the ending lacked. I wanted more than we got and felt like the brothers deserved better. Grace’s return was fine- but lacked the strength that could have been there had more been done the mend the wounds between them and for the adults to admit their faults.

[Jane Wildfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read

If you have been fortunate enough to read just one of the Willow Creek books, you will surely find yourself in love with the citizens there especially the Avery family. This book brings the citizens of Willow Creek and the Avery's together and the writing talent of Lily Graison, makes this book impossible to put down. I loved every single page.

[Kathy Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rafe and Grace

14 yr old orders himself a wife to cook and clean for him but fails to tell his mail order bride how young he is. His brother Rafe is attracted to her right away, but has been burned twice by women. Twists and turns through out this story leads to a happy ending. Loved it!

[Barbara R. Cady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, emotions

5th in the series, it was in no way a let down! Lots of emotions for all the characters and the reader too! Well done Lily!! Enjoyable!!!!

[Jumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok for a time pass. The ending felt rushed...

[CB]

DNFed book 1: not interested in this books plot

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

His Brother’s Wife by Lily Graison
Willow Creek Series Book 5
Rafe Samuels finds out his brother has ordered a mail-order bride. The problem? Jesse is only fourteen and his reasoning for a wife is that more of a young boys thinking than a mans. And the woman that arrives is definitely a beauty for a man, not a boy. Rafe has to remind himself that he has a past that shows love isn’t meant for his life and that this is suppose to be his brother’s future wife.

Grace Kingston left Boston to marry the man she felt she knew through his letters. Only it wasn’t the handsome dark haired man described in the letter that was to be her groom, it was his younger, his much to young, brother. Grace walks the tightrope of not hurting Jesse, while trying to keep herself from falling for his handsome brother, Rafe. She’s not much of an acrobat.

The fifth book in the Willow Creek Series takes you back to revisit some friends from the past, like the Willow Creek townspeople and the Avery brothers and their families. The reader is introduced to some new folks as well, both good and bad. The personalities of the characters and their emotions were well written. A young boy trying to be a man after a traumatic experience, a brother returning home after fleeing ten years earlier and a city girl looking for a new adventure and finding more than she bargained for, all come together in His Brother’s Wife.
**Sexual content
http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/...

[Mrsrbyrd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read. Very quick read. Another well written book. The story starts out slow but then just grabs your attention. The story line between Grace, Rafe and Jesse is so very interesting and not what you expect. Girl sells everything she has to move away and marry a man she never met, only to find out he is not what she was expecting... Jesse all of 14 years old has decided he is a man and needs a wife... Shy redheaded child that he was decribed himself to be something that he was not, being that he didn't think she wold agree to marry him otherwise. The description that he gave.....his brother Rafe. Who on his story line has been through a lot emotionally, yet find himself attracted to Grace. Wow!such a great read. I would recommend this book most definitely. The author Lily Graison really is a wonderful writer who has the ability to write her characters out very cleanly. She can go into descriptions of them without dragging it on and boring you. She has the ability to go deep but keep you entrapped In the story. For anyone looking for great reads they should give her a try. She has something for everyone on every platform of the romance spectrum. From cowboys to werewolves. She knows what she is doing.

[Pati · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is #5 in the Willow Creek series it is the first one that I've read. It most definitely works as a stand alone story.
Though at various times I wanted to smack Rafe and Grace they were still likable enough that I only put it down once. I had to see how their saga would turn out and was not disappointed in the end.

I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys sweet historical romances with ladies who know when not be a too ladylike. ;-) Though Grace was a lady of her times she was in no way a push over, which kept my interest going even when I was exasperated with everyone.

As my GRs friends know it's rare for me to read historicals because being an historian the mistakes drive me insane. So, I am pleasantly surprised to tell you that I had no such problems with this book. Though we're never told exactly what year it is we can guess and only two things struck me as being not right and neither was too significant to the story.

I would like to acknowledge that I was provided with an ARC by the author in exchange for my fair and honest review.

[Melissa Vasquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful and entertaining read. :-)
I started the book and stayed up late into the night. I was not wanting to put it down. I needed to know what happened. Sadly I had to. But as soon as I was off work the next day I picked it back up. I did not put it back down until I finished the book.

Lily will pull you into this story right from the start. She will keep you on the edge, even at the end she does not really let you go. She left room for more. And I love more. Which I am hoping is true and I just hope it will be soon.

Rafe is stubborn and did not want to get hurt again. He needed to keep his distance.
Grace was desperate and at times made rash decisions. This was going to be an adventure for her.

I love the stubborn ones. They always fall the hardest. This one did not let me down there.

Thanks Lily for another great read :-)

[Janice Hougland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the final hit of the series! Well, I finished my last book in this series and I’m sad. Wah! I really, really, loved this entire series. In this story, the heroine (Grace) irritated me somewhat because she was a little too honorable in her original intentions to marry Jesse, the younger brother. I kept wanting her to just be blunt and tell him the truth and then openly go after the older brother, Rafe. And I also got impatient with Rafe in his own honorable way of staying away from Grace for the sake of Jesse’s feelings. A lot of angst could have been avoided if they had just been above-board with their feelings. But it is the nature of good writing and good stories to be able to get the reader so involved that they have feelings about the characters like I did. I heartily recommend this entire series.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rafe may kill Jesse. after their parents died, Rafe comes home to help save the ranch. his 14 yr old brother is "a man" and don't need no help! Jesse has a plan. all he needs is a wife to cook, clean, and do his mending. so he orders one. as Rafe drives his brother into town to pick up his dowdy bride, expecting to teach Jesse a lesson, he meets Grace, the bride, and is in shock. jesse's plain little bride is a beautiful woman, who comes from money and stands out in willow creek.

when grace meets jesse she knows this boy needs a mother, not a wife. how does she let him down without breaking his little heart. in the meantime she needs a husband and if the one she wants (rafe) is unwilling, she will find someone else. after living with Rafe and Jesse, finding another husband will be tricky since she only wants rafe

[Dar · Rating 3 out of 5]

So Jesse, yeah, he was around in other books and will be an interesting young man once he matures. Grace is a realistic young women in her times and knows what she needs to survive in the world and what she wants. These two made the book, whether together or apart, they kept things moving along

Rafe is whiny and it is no wonder he has ended up where he is in life, even after he seems to making progress from his bitching, he reverts again. He is where the book lacks

The heat levels and attraction between him and Grace is good stuff, it is his actions and thoughts outside of those moments that make you plunder through his scenes

Not bad, didn't like it as much as a couple that came before, but will definitely be reading some more of the Willow Creek crew adventures!

[Roub · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice! i like how the author showed us the funny side of things though Grace was in a terrible situation! she realised early on dat Jesse was looking for a mother figure and she enjoyed mothering him. strange, coming from the background she had, she was ready to settle for so less! I was actually looking for Jesse and Alex Avery's story as it promised lots of angst! but i guess the author has not yet written it. Rafe was very much the tortured hero who found his HEA and i was very glad about dat, as he had been through hell.

[Cindelu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads.
It is a well written and easily read western about a mail order bride. the main character grew nicely as the story went along and I was pleased with the ending. I nice quick read on a cold winter's night.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the last entry to this series, have to say it was a great story. I can't wait now to read Alex and Jesse's story.

[Keri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace

Good adventure and romance some language too long for my tastes I think Alex and Jesse did o need the I r own book