What do you think?
The Brides of Paradise Ranch #11
Julia: The Innocent Bride
(Please note that this is the sweet version of
His Innocent Bride
)
Everybody else was doing it, so why not him? Sam Standish has always prided himself on being a rough and rugged frontier saloonkeeper. Just because he likes to keep things neat and tidy, appreciates good home cooking, and thinks a grandfather clock would be a fine addition to any home does NOT mean he's the settling down type. But he sends away for a mail-order bride anyhow, expecting that once she arrives, his life will be as boring as plain toast.
Julia Frost is a whirlwind in pink cotton who comes from a long line of people that have met early, gruesome, and unfortunate ends. But she's determined to make Sam happy...even if she has to drag him there kicking and screaming. Life in Haskell is everything Julia has ever longed for. She even finds a bosom friend in Bebe Bonneville.
But chaos breaks loose when Julia and Bebe find a clue that indicates robber's loot is hidden in the saloon. And Sam's predictable world is turned on its head when Hubert Strong comes to him for help in wooing and winning Bebe. Will one set of sweethearts be able to help the others start a new life together (possibly with loot!) or will Rex Bonneville put an end to more than one romance?
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Steam Level - Sweet
If you would like to read this book with "scenes," check out His Innocent Bride .
Everybody else was doing it, so why not him? Sam Standish has always prided himself on being a rough and rugged frontier saloonkeeper. Just because he likes to keep things neat and tidy, appreciates good home cooking, and thinks a grandfather clock would be a fine addition to any home does NOT mean he's the settling down type. But he sends away for a mail-order bride anyhow, expecting that once she arrives, his life will be as boring as plain toast.
Julia Frost is a whirlwind in pink cotton who comes from a long line of people that have met early, gruesome, and unfortunate ends. But she's determined to make Sam happy...even if she has to drag him there kicking and screaming. Life in Haskell is everything Julia has ever longed for. She even finds a bosom friend in Bebe Bonneville.
But chaos breaks loose when Julia and Bebe find a clue that indicates robber's loot is hidden in the saloon. And Sam's predictable world is turned on its head when Hubert Strong comes to him for help in wooing and winning Bebe. Will one set of sweethearts be able to help the others start a new life together (possibly with loot!) or will Rex Bonneville put an end to more than one romance?
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Steam Level - Sweet
If you would like to read this book with "scenes," check out His Innocent Bride .
152 pages, Paperback
First published May 30, 2017
About the author
Merry Farmer
322 books1,175 followersUSA Today Bestselling author Merry Farmer lives in suburban Philadelphia with her two cats, Justine and Peter. She has been writing since she was ten years old and realized she didn't have to wait for the teacher to assign a creative writing project to write something. It was the best day of her life. Her books have reached the top of Amazon's charts, and have been named finalists for several prestigious awards, including the RONE Award for indie romance.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 5, 2017
This western historical is full of tornado-worthy writing in its jumbled-up, lovable heroine, Julia Frost.
Read full review in the 2017 October issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2017 October issue of InD'tale Magazine.
June 4, 2017
I loved the combination of love, fun, laughter in this book. Sam and Julia are a good couple. They say opposites attract and they are as opposite as you can get. The characters are well rounded, the storyline is amazing. I have already bought the book, and I will be recommending it to others. I like being able to feel as though I am in the story I am reading, this pulls you in and just doesn't let go.
Thank you.
Thank you.
November 1, 2017
I had trouble jumping the believability chasm with this heroine. Her story seemed a bit too slapstick and air-headed. Still I absolutely love this series and enjoy visiting it and it’s people.
June 26, 2020
This is an OK mail-order bride romance, with a mostly likable couple, but it is a bit silly at times. It is a quick read, good if you don't have time for a longer novel.
Julia is clumsy, immature, and incredibly silly, so I had a hard time understanding why Sam was attracted to her. She had almost no idea of appropriate social behavior, and often told dumb stories about her family for absolutely no reason. Her decorating ideas were hideous, and her obsession with bad dime store novels was just ridiculous.
Sam was OK, but it didn't make sense to me why he fell in love with someone who was so different from him -- and to someone whose behavior often made him look silly. The bit with helping Julia tear up the saloon to look for hidden loot was just ridiculous -- Sam did not seem like the kind of man who would have let a woman talk him into doing that. I also really didn't understand at all why he couldn't seem to stand up to all her plans to "redecorate" their home and his saloon, even though he hated most of her decorating ideas.
This book includes lots of characters (many from another series). Because so many of the characters had their own stories in the Hot on the Trail series, I would recommend reading that series before starting this one, then reading this series in order. You can read this book without that, but you will miss out on many important details of all the characters' lives. In this book, in particular, you will miss out on Sam's life in Haskell before he meets Julia.
This is the spicy version of this book, according to the description, but I didn't think it was really that spicy. It contains love scenes, and it is not especially explicit. But if you want to read books with NO love scenes at all -- only kisses -- then you should stick with the sweeter version of this book.
My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.
Julia is clumsy, immature, and incredibly silly, so I had a hard time understanding why Sam was attracted to her. She had almost no idea of appropriate social behavior, and often told dumb stories about her family for absolutely no reason. Her decorating ideas were hideous, and her obsession with bad dime store novels was just ridiculous.
Sam was OK, but it didn't make sense to me why he fell in love with someone who was so different from him -- and to someone whose behavior often made him look silly. The bit with helping Julia tear up the saloon to look for hidden loot was just ridiculous -- Sam did not seem like the kind of man who would have let a woman talk him into doing that. I also really didn't understand at all why he couldn't seem to stand up to all her plans to "redecorate" their home and his saloon, even though he hated most of her decorating ideas.
This book includes lots of characters (many from another series). Because so many of the characters had their own stories in the Hot on the Trail series, I would recommend reading that series before starting this one, then reading this series in order. You can read this book without that, but you will miss out on many important details of all the characters' lives. In this book, in particular, you will miss out on Sam's life in Haskell before he meets Julia.
This is the spicy version of this book, according to the description, but I didn't think it was really that spicy. It contains love scenes, and it is not especially explicit. But if you want to read books with NO love scenes at all -- only kisses -- then you should stick with the sweeter version of this book.
My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.
June 9, 2020
New series introduced at end spoilt the story for me.
Sam Standish, saloon owner, sends for a mail order bride Julia Standish. Accident prone Julia is a breath of fresh air and certainly keeps Sam on his toes.
I enjoyed this light hearted read, but wish it had ended as all the others, with their happy ever after theme. However to introduce a new contemporary series, the author jumps forward (I won't say why) . I was left feeling rather sad thinking of Sam and Julia plus all the characters I have known throughout the whole series as being long gone, rather than think of them as fresh characters with years to live.This spoilt it for me. I wanted to believe in the fairy tale.
Sam Standish, saloon owner, sends for a mail order bride Julia Standish. Accident prone Julia is a breath of fresh air and certainly keeps Sam on his toes.
I enjoyed this light hearted read, but wish it had ended as all the others, with their happy ever after theme. However to introduce a new contemporary series, the author jumps forward (I won't say why) . I was left feeling rather sad thinking of Sam and Julia plus all the characters I have known throughout the whole series as being long gone, rather than think of them as fresh characters with years to live.This spoilt it for me. I wanted to believe in the fairy tale.
June 15, 2017
This was a laugh out loud book for me. Julia made me laugh so much! I loved this book. Great writing, characters and plot. The author brings to life these characters in a way that makes them feel like they are close friends and are your friends. I also love looking back on the characters of this series and seeing how they have grown.
July 10, 2017
A little far fetched
The storyline really did not seem to matter.. The basic plot was far more fantasy than could be called fact. Paradise ranch must be filled with hen-pecked men and dominating women. A saloon in the west was not a place where one could serve high tea instead of whiskey.
The storyline really did not seem to matter.. The basic plot was far more fantasy than could be called fact. Paradise ranch must be filled with hen-pecked men and dominating women. A saloon in the west was not a place where one could serve high tea instead of whiskey.
July 8, 2023
A Wonderful, Entertaining, Humorous & Romantic Story.
Oh what a wonderful & Delightful Story.
Sam & Julia were such wonderful characters.
Julia is so clumsy yet she is full of life & I am sure never let Sam have a boring life.
I am looking forward to reading Hubert & Bebe's story next in this series.
Oh what a wonderful & Delightful Story.
Sam & Julia were such wonderful characters.
Julia is so clumsy yet she is full of life & I am sure never let Sam have a boring life.
I am looking forward to reading Hubert & Bebe's story next in this series.
June 4, 2017
Innocent
Merry books are always interesting. Yet, with this one I felt there were two couples competing for the title of main characters. It was funny, it was different. It made me want more. Julia is someone you can't help but love.
Merry books are always interesting. Yet, with this one I felt there were two couples competing for the title of main characters. It was funny, it was different. It made me want more. Julia is someone you can't help but love.
June 15, 2017
Julia: The Innocent Bride (Sweet)
I really enjoyed Julia: The Innocent Bride Sweet romance. Love the character development and the twist for the other couple. Loved catching up with PV.
I really enjoyed Julia: The Innocent Bride Sweet romance. Love the character development and the twist for the other couple. Loved catching up with PV.
June 6, 2017
Julia is too silly for words and it annoys me a lot.
June 7, 2017
Julia is a hoot
I laughed so hard at some of the family stories that Julia told. And the priest day teaser that Ms Farmer threw in there...gah!
I laughed so hard at some of the family stories that Julia told. And the priest day teaser that Ms Farmer threw in there...gah!
July 21, 2017
Very good
Great book. Loved the characters and how you are given glimpses of past chacters. You get a inside look at the entire town.
Great book. Loved the characters and how you are given glimpses of past chacters. You get a inside look at the entire town.
August 2, 2017
This was such a nice and fun read, loved it a lot
August 30, 2017
Another Great Read!
I have yet to read a book Br Merry Farmer(Spicy Version) that I couldn't wait for her next story to be available!
I have yet to read a book Br Merry Farmer(Spicy Version) that I couldn't wait for her next story to be available!
February 1, 2018
Loot & Love
This was an interesting book given it focuses on two couples. This book holds danger, loot, and love, but not necessarily in that order.
This was an interesting book given it focuses on two couples. This book holds danger, loot, and love, but not necessarily in that order.
April 9, 2020
Humorous
I think this is one of my favs since I laughed out loud so many times from Julia's antics and Sam's response to them. It was a fun read.
I think this is one of my favs since I laughed out loud so many times from Julia's antics and Sam's response to them. It was a fun read.
September 5, 2021
Fabulous series and love story!! All stand alone reads that will not disappoint you!!! Fall in love with the people of Haskell and another mail order bride!! Grab your copy today and enjoy!!
May 16, 2022
Great book.. recommend
April 16, 2022
This was the only book in this series that I didn’t particularly like. I found the heroine kind of annoying. She also came across as so young I was kind of uncomfortable.
Read
June 5, 2017Book 11 but still new ideas for a new book in the series. This book is quite funny.
Read
June 17, 2017Julia and Sam are perfect for each other. She makes him feel young again and he keeps her grounded. I love the whole series. It is too bad that it can't just keep going to find out where all these people's lives go from here.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews