Big Spring Ranch Brides: Anna

Orphan Train #3

by Zoe Matthews

Anna grew up in a New York orphanage. She is now 12 years old and she is given the opportunity to travel with an orphan train to Maple Grove, Texas along with 18 other children, including her best friends, Serena and Katrina.

She is taken in with a family that owns the General Store in Maple Grove. Even though they are not cruel to her, they expect her to work in their store during her free time,and they don’t give her the love of a family she desperately wants.

When she is an adult, she sees an ad in a newspaper advertising for mail-order brides. She decides to answer the ad and agrees to go to Big Spring Ranch in Montana and marry a rancher, the oldest of three brothers.

But when she arrives, she finds that the situation is not what she was led to believe. One brother had written to her pretending he was another brother. She becomes their housekeeper while the mess is straightened out. Will she become a mail order bride or will she need to go back to Maple Grove?

Also available:

An Unexpected Family: Amanda and Craig’s story

The Promise of A Family: Lydia and Clinton’s story

Genres: Historical, Novella

99 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2014

Reviews

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed how the author "set the table" on this mail-order western romance. Letting the readers in on heroine Anna's background growing up as an orphan and her adoption by a Texas couple off the "orphan train" piqued my interest immediately.

Destined, she thought, to be the bride of luke, a widower Montana rancher with a five year old daughter, Anna is met at the train and deceived by Luke's brother Alex. How is this going to get settled? Alex is smitten with Anna and doesn't first admit he wrote Anna on behalf of his unknowing brother. Struggling to honor her commitment to Luke, who steadfastly does NOT want to get re-married, Anna tries to understand the never-before-felt romantic attraction to wrong guy Alex! So, who is going to marry whom? The interpersonal tensions between all of the principles make this such an engrossing story.

This reader/reviewer has since discovered the author's five volume Big Springs Ranch Brides (Orphan Train series) for a modest price and immediately purchased it to enjoy the stories of Anna's childhood friends: Serena and Katrina.

[Debbie West · Rating 5 out of 5]

Half as long but just as good

I'm enjoying Ms Matthew's orphan train series. I do wish she had reminded me who knew Anna in a previous book. I remember her working for the storekeepers & her friend sering that she wasn't thrilled with it. But her two orphan friends in this book didn't get married before Anna left. So neither of them definitely are not the girl in previous book. I expected one thing to happen in this book, as a climax, but that didn't happen. The story was short & sweet with no special scenes. But I still enjoyed it. I appreciate the author keeping this series as a clean romance series, & I always enjoy the mail order bride romances.

[Sarah B White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will Anna find love?

I enjoyed reading this story about Anna and how she fit in on the ranch. Anna immediately made friends with the little girl living in the ranch house and this love expanded to love with one of the brothers. Which one will she choose? Read this book to find out. I hope you enjoy it also.

[Rosemary Motte · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Life You Thought You Are Traveling Towards

Another mail order bride travels forward toward a new life. Only to fine things changed to something even better.
She went to marry one brother only to fall for a different one. Life gives us twists and turns in life. It takes love to find the right life to live.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

She was just considered a worker in their store

I enjoyed how the story had the one brother caring about how hurt his older brother was after his wife died that he would send for a mail order bride for him but love how they got together in the end.

[Alice Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

I can't believe how much action and emotion Zoe Matthews puts into her short stories.
I just don't seem to have the time any more to get fully into a long book. I love to read but with Zoe Matthews stories, I just don't want to stop reading.

[Pat Comer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good series.

Anna went to Montana to marry Luke, and to take care of Luke's daughter. Luke didn't want to get married, so Anna married Alex and it worked out wonderful. Thank you Zoe Matthews.

[Katherine Cuttonaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book


I highly recommend that everyone reads this book. It us good and heart warming 💓








I highly recommend that everyone reads this book. It is heart warming and emotional.

[Carol St John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna

Very good read. I enjoyed this book and I believe anyone who likes Mail Order Bride stories will enjoy this as well.

[Norma Wiegert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna the baby nobody wanted, adopted From the orphan train to work in a store,unwanted mail order bride will Anna ever find love and happiness? Another great book by Zoe matthews

[Pam McCallister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Barry R Gurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna finally finds love

Sweet story a young girl raised with little love only to find a perfect love after a trip of faith.

[Pearl Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply read

Was a pretty good read. Not much excitement. All these books seem to have the same story lines. It held my interest.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Mail Order Bride story

I really enjoyed reading Anna's story. All she really ever wanted was to be loved so it easy to understand why she would become a mail order bride. When things don't go as planned she makes the best of it. Plenty of detail made this feel like a full length story instead of a novella. I really enjoyed reading about the orphan train and felt like this story was probably pretty accurate in this area. The only reason I didn't rate this one a five is because there are several editing issues .

[Yasmin Vasquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good

I really enjoyed this story, it was heartfelt. I love period romance stories. Anna became a mail order bride to find a family that could love her. In the end she got just what she needed.

[Nancy Grimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovely sweet short story

Such a sweet romance short story. Anna longed for a family to love, she found that with Alex and his brothers on the ranch. I can't wait to see how her friends find love in Montana also.

[Marion Galvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series

Well written with a different twist in the orphan series. Warm loving characters and a pleasant surprise to see that all isn't happily ever after all the time.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, sweet book. Really enjoyed this story

[Sanderella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another sweet story in this series!! ))

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet

This was such a good story. I loved the HEA ending and look forward to reading Serena and Katrina's stories.