Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Western Tales of Daring Souls

A Bride to Soothe the Wounded Rancher

Rate this book

Fern has always minded her own business and just wanted to start a new life on her own. But when the false accusations of a man in town make her drunk father demand that she gets married, she will have to find an immediate solution. With nowhere to turn, she flees to the West as a mail-order bride for a mysterious stranger. And as more pieces from her husband’s past and present turmoil come to light, Fern is not sure if what she feels deep inside is fear or love. Will she eventually be brave enough to see the man who is hidden behind the deformed face?

Charley’s life during the last years has been quite solitary. His scars have disfigured not only his face but his soul too and the ghosts from his past don’t let him move on. Only until a beautiful woman appears in his life aiming to become his mail-order bride, there forms a ray of hope in his darkness. But will he let her touch his heart and heal his wounds? Or will he repel her too, afraid that there is no one in this world who could have true feelings for him?

Just when Fern and Charley succeed in putting together pieces that were broken for years, will their past leave them alone for long enough to enjoy it? Or is the situation about to get unstable once again, bringing about consequences they couldn’t even imagine?

467 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 19, 2019

956 people are currently reading
110 people want to read

About the author

Lorelei Brogan

117 books51 followers
Lorelei Brogan was born and raised in Idaho where she currently lives with her husband.

While sitting in her graduate school apartment, studying Rock science, Lorelei decided to set aside her notes and try her hand at romance.

At the same time, she used to write articles for a local newspaper under a pseudonym, and this made her wonder if she could write something besides news -- about something she really loved. At the age of 40 she managed to make her dream come true.

She has a great family and 4 sons that she adores. She is extremely proud of them, and so are they. They really admire her work, and support her in every step of her life.Her oldest son, who deeply loves her, says Lorelei’s novels make him travel to a different world.

In her spare time, she loves cooking and volunteering at her local elderly care home. She also adores traveling with her husband. Their dream is to travel all over the world, with Asia being at the top of her “bucket list”.

Lorelei loves to connect with her readers!

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
232 (55%)
4 stars
105 (25%)
3 stars
60 (14%)
2 stars
17 (4%)
1 star
5 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
Profile Image for Brittany Fitzgerald.
11 reviews1 follower
July 22, 2019
Leaves a lot to be desired

I love the “mail-order bride genre”, so when I saw this book received a ton of good reviews I figured it would be worth the read. It sadly wasn’t. I don’t know anything about this author, so I don’t know if this was maybe her first novel, but it was riddled with inconsistencies and bland characters. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read, and the story had a lot of potential. Maybe if she had a better editor it would have been more enjoyable, but the inconsistencies really detracted from the story. There were so many instances where you would find the characters somewhere completely different, or literally MONTHS would have passed, and there was no lead up to it. Just BAM 6 months have passed, or Fern was now doing something completely unrelated to what she was doing 2 sentences ago without any indication of what happened in between. It was very, very distracting. And there was so much unnecessary paragraphs of inner monologuing that I found myself skipping several pages at a time just to get through it. I feel bad for giving only 2 stars, but if the author had hired a better editor, or maybe developed her characters just a little more, I might have given another star.
Profile Image for Jennifer Hill.
514 reviews
August 5, 2019
It was a decent read, but I wish it had focused more on Fern and Charly and there was less "must hide my past from everyone" kind of stuff.
25 reviews
September 10, 2019
In and out wounds equal

Good good good read. A romantic western with a twist. Interesting how outside and inside wounds can become an equalizer for two different people.
6 reviews
August 18, 2020
Is the first book I read from this author. It was easy to read. I like very much the mail order bride theme, and I think this story and the characters have a lot of potential. However, I feel it had to be worked a little more. The characters and the relationships between them make you think there is something major behind, not only between Fern and Charley, also with Vincent, but there's nothing strong enough. And it leaves you with the feeling that it could gone further.
Still it is an easy to read novel.
180 reviews
January 6, 2024
It's What's Inside The Person That Counts

I liked the Story with all the emotions one story can hold. What a brave and bothered young man Charley was. He held so much guilt inside, he was so concerned and confused. Fern running from a terrible father and a horrible man, found some solace being married to Charley. In the end Charley and Fern accept each other and care for each other dearly.
M
228 reviews1 follower
June 23, 2025
Quite An Exceptional Story!

A scarred man who carried a lot of anger and grief, cut himself off from the world. A young Lady who’s reputation had been soiled by a bad man, left town as a mail order bride. Seeking a better life. Fern Belay met Charley Mitchel, as they were strangers they were wary of each other. This was a wonderful story of learning to trust, learning to love, and restitution of family.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Sintes.
241 reviews
April 6, 2020
A Bride to Soothe The Wounded Rancher

What is not like when the book has so much to entertain the reader. You have history ,mystery,love story and forgiveness. Miss Lorelei Brogan puts the reader in the story and one really feels the pain,hate,courage,and love. Thank you Lorelei for such a beautiful read.
155 reviews1 follower
August 16, 2020
Good read!

Enjoyed the story and a easy read. Characters were well written, as well as, their life struggles. Looking forward to next book.
Profile Image for Patricia Brooks.
515 reviews1 follower
January 17, 2024
Great Story

This is a really good story and I really enjoyed reading this story. It is full of adventure and love.
Profile Image for Timothy Hendricks.
477 reviews6 followers
July 26, 2019
Lorelei Brogan is an excellent Author and storyteller. I have read a number of her books and have never read one that I didn't like. This one is no exception. Its a great read with a lot of twists and turns. It is the story of Fern Belay and Charley Michel. Both have had quite a bit of trauma in their young lives. Fern lives in a city in the East. Her Mother had died giving birth to her. So she never really knew her Mother although her Mother had written a letter to her before dying. This letter is the only thing that she has that is connected to her Mother. Her father has always from the very beginning of her life held her responsible for her Mother's death. For the most part her Father is a drunk and an abuser. Fern has grown up afraid of him. She hasn't had much luck with men either. The only man that has shown her interest is a man named Darren. Darren is also a drunk and worse than that he is abusive. He is a control freak. Fern can't stand him. When he offers marriage she refuses him. He then starts a rumor about Fern and has everyone believing the worst about her including her own Father. Then to her amazement her Father tells her than as soon as she turns 18 she will marry Darren. She decides to become a mail order bride and flees West. Charley hasn't had things easy either. He lost his parents and had lost his little sister in a fire where he had received bad burns to his face in an effort to save her. He holds resentment against himself for the loss of his sisters and his parents as well as against his brother Vincent. He feels that Vincent should have done more to save their sister. Because of the scar to his face he chooses to stay away from people who might ridicule him. In the beginning both Fern and Charley are so eaten up with fear and anger that they have trouble creating a connection between the two of them. It seems that the biggest problem in the story is the lack of communication. Charley and Fern or hesitant about talking to one another about anything of importance. The same goes for Charley and his brother Vincent. However Charley does treat her better than her experience with her Father or Darren. She feels that what is inside a person is more important than what is on the outside. Slowly she begins to fall in love with Charley and actually she is the first to speak of her love. He feels love for her but at the moment finds it impossible to say. He doesn't exactly trust her he can't figure out how a woman could love a scarred man like him. There are several blow ups that happen between Charley and his brother Vincent until finally they have it out. Charley then starts to realize how wrong he has been. It wasn't Vincent who was at fault for their situation; but himself. Then when Darren finds and takes Fern away against her will, it is then with the absence of Fern that he realizes what he has in Fern. He sets out to find and rescue Fern. Charley learns how important family is.

I thought the story was very well written and the characters very well fleshed out. There is no profanity and the book is a wholesome read. Loved it. Highly recommend it. I look forward to her next book.
841 reviews7 followers
June 24, 2019
Love Comes to All

Fern lived with her father. A town drunk wanted to have a relationship with Fern. When she refused to have anything to do with him, he spread rumors about Fern, and Fern's father demanded that they marry. Fern did not want to marry him and planned to escape her father's plans. She answered a mail-order bride announcement and went in a stage coach to a distant location in the West where this man lived. Upon her arrival, Charley married Fern and took her to his home. She told him about the man her father wanted her to marry and Charley pledged to protect her from the man.

Charley was not without his own problems. He had suffered disfiguring burns when he attempted to save his sister from a housefire. He felt that no one could love him with his scars on his face and body. He was kind to Fern and they began life together working on Charley's ranch, raising cattle. They also had chickens which gave them lots of eggs. They sold the excess products for their income.

In time, the drunkard who had tried to make Fern his wife located Fern and kidnapped her. Charley and Vincent, his brother, with the help of townspeople, were able to find and rescue Fern.

I enjoyed this book. It was a good Saturday read. I received an ARC copy of this book. This is my personal opinion of the book. I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Profile Image for Delbora.
1,447 reviews5 followers
January 25, 2020
A Delightful Story

This author has written another cohesive entertaining book. The way it is written you can see everything in your mind as though you're watching a tv show. The interactions of the characters are realistically portrayed and you can feel what they feel.
Profile Image for Sheree K.
172 reviews5 followers
June 22, 2019
Fern had a hard life. Her mother had died in childbirth and her drunken father blamed her for it. She had no one to love or trust. When she spurned a man wanting to date her, he spread lies about her that everyone believed so her father told her she had to marry Darren when she turned 18 in a few weeks. She didn't really want to marry anyone. Seeing no way out, she answered an ad for a mail order bride and ran.
Charley had much tragedy in his life and his only friend had finally convinced him to place an ad looking for someone to be a companion and helper on his ranch. He didn't hope for love; who could love his disfigured face?
As soon as she got off the stagecoach, he took her to the Justice of the Peace to be married. Can these complete strangers make this arrangement work? Can they each learn to trust themselves and each other? This is a heartwarming story of love and forgiveness with an HEA ending. There's also an extended epilogue to complete the storyline.
I received an ARC from the author and this is my voluntary review.
Profile Image for Kaye.
7,177 reviews73 followers
June 27, 2019
ONE FANTASTIC TREASURE!!!
Giddy on up! Lorelei brings her A-game with this little treasure. A coiling eddy of unpredictable activities and a slew of surprising events that keep you flipping page after page. Throw in all the pulse racing drama and thrilling suspense and you have one intense, electrifying tale that captures your attention from the start. This little gem is written with such passion and sincerity you feel all the gut wretching, uncertainty that really kicks this little gem up a few notches. The twists and turns, ups and downs, along with a few knocks and bumps thrust this baby to life brilliantly. The characters are realistic, well developed and genuine with just enough flaws to relate. Their personalities are unique with qualities and traits that balance out perfectly. The scenes are so graphic and descriptive it paints a fantastic backdrop that really makes the storyline pop. Awesome job Lorelei, thanks for sharing this little gem with us.
206 reviews2 followers
June 25, 2019
Love 💘heals

Fern has never been 💘loved by her embittered father as he always blamed her for the loss of his wife giving birth to her. When she is forced by circumstances to leave all she has ever known and become a mail-order bride she can only hope that the man she's going to marry is better than her father and the man she's fleeing from in her home town.
Charley had been estranged from his brother since the fire 🔥that had taken their sister's life and his scars that he had gotten when he went into the burning house caused him to shun nearly everyone.
Vincent has tried ever since their sister's death to talk to Charley, but he was about to finally give up until he accidentally caused the fire that burned 🔥down Charley's barn and Charley goes tearing off to his ranch. The two brothers finally come to an understanding and decide to head back to Charley's and discover Fern missing and signs that she has been kidnapped.
955 reviews8 followers
July 2, 2019
Fern’s mother dies giving birth to her. Her father blames her and never lets her forget it. She’s very emotionally abused her entire life. When a cruel and vicious man decides he wants her despite her refusal he starts a rumor about her to force her into marriage! Instead she goes the mail order bride route!
Charley is physically scarred after trying to save his sister from a deadly fire. He blames his brother Vincent for her death and 6 yrs later he refuses to Tom to him. He has isolated himself on his ranch only going into town under the cover of darkness. His one friend encourages him to apply for a mail order bride!
When Fern sees his scars she’s more upset that he didn’t mention them.
This was a story about forgiveness, love, family and learning to open yourself up again to the possibilities of a happy future. This was a heartbreaking yet touching story about scars internal and external! I really enjoyed this book!
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
5,787 reviews109 followers
August 27, 2019
This was a kindle unlimited recommendation, and it was pretty cute. This is a mail order bride with a strong Beauty and the Beast vibe. In this case, Fern (Belle) knows that Darren (her Gaston) is a terrifying creep and answers an add from a lonely rancher out West to get out of town as quickly as possible. Charley (the Beast) was in a fire that killed his little sister, and the scars (both physically and emotionally) have isolated him from pretty much his whole community including his younger brother. Charley and Fern have a lot of baggage to work through, and they are making pretty good progress when Darren shows up to reclaim Fern. I enjoyed the whole story except for the author's treatment of a gunshot wound and the character's ensuing reaction to being shot. I won't give spoilers, but it did make me wonder if Lorelei Brogan watched too many John Wayne movies lol. A cute historical romance!
Profile Image for Sharon.
1,048 reviews2 followers
June 25, 2019
Fern had a miserable life. Her mother died giving birth to her, and her father, who was a drunk, blamed her. He would hit her regularly. When she was accused of something she didn't do and her father was forcing her to marry a man she hated, she became a mail order bride for a rancher out west. Charley was a man with disfiguring scars from a fire which killed his small sister. When Fern stepped off the stagecoach, Charley had figured she would take one look at him and flee back where she came from. But she didn't and she married him the same day. What happens when their pasts catch up with them? Will they survive? Will they grow to love each other, or will they loose their lives before knowing what love is? This is a very good book. I loved the characters. This is a must read book.
1,531 reviews12 followers
July 30, 2019
Wonderful

Loved Charley and Fern's story. I felt so bad for Fern, her mother had passed away all she had was her father and he was drunk all of the time. She really didn't have anyone. Darren a man about town could have any girl he wanted he wanted Fern but she wasn't having any of it. So he decided to make her life a living hell. Charley was angry and hurt. His sister Aria had passed in a fire and he was badly burned. He had no one. Two wounded soul come together to find happiness. Wonderful story with a tiny bit of suspense.
Profile Image for Cyndi Aldrich.
129 reviews
June 23, 2019
Finding Trre Love

This is a excellent story.
Fern has never had love in her life. Her mother died when she was born, and her father turned into an abusive drunk, causing Fern to except a Mail Order Bride offer.
Charley lost both parents at a young age. A few years later he lost his sister in a fire, and became estranged from his brother.
I received this book as a ARC and this is my voluntary review.
Profile Image for Sheri Bishop.
507 reviews7 followers
June 27, 2019
Because of circumstances beyond her control, Fern must flee her home. So she flees to the west and becomes a mail order bride for Charley. Charley, a man scarred inside and out, must decide if he'll let Fern heal his wounds or will she be repelled by his scars, like the rest of the world.

I would say this is a telling of the fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast, with a historical western spin. Very original and very gripping. I recommend it
1,027 reviews11 followers
June 29, 2019
This is a sweet easy read and is Fern and Charley's story. Both of them had experienced a lot of hurt and heartache in their life; Fern from a mean and evil drunken father and Charley from scars he received as the result of a fire. The character development is excellent as we watch the couple overcome many misunderstandings and hardships to finally find their way to a HEA. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
647 reviews5 followers
July 4, 2019
This was an incredible book! I always enjoy whatever I read that Ms. Brogan has written, but this one was special. I love how she made the main characters people with real life issues. Fern came from an abusive background and Charley had some issues of his own. It was so refreshing to see a love interest that did not have those perfect looks. I think this is the best book I have by Ms. Brogan so far.
Profile Image for Diane Horne.
682 reviews6 followers
September 4, 2019
A Bride to Soothe the Wounded Rancher By Lorelei Brogan

Five stars, both Fern and Charley had baggage.. A past that haunted their steps.. Fern was willing, but it took Charley a while to adjust.. She was a nail order bride, he was scarred on the outside and the inside.. He had a brother Vincent who was also hurting.. But learning to let go and letting go of the fears and forgiving.. Made this a good book..Little drama but in all a good ending.
5 reviews
September 4, 2019
I liked this book. The storyline was good, but there was some obvious errors. This is set in the old west. So when she returns home after working late and her father complained "and you didn't call me?" I almost didn't continue reading. It was so out of place! Also at one point she doesn't really like to bake but is good at it, yet later she likes to bake but isn't very good at it. There are a few more, but if you can over look the contradiction it is a good story.
4,720 reviews38 followers
June 27, 2019
It will capture your attention.
Loved the book the author did such a good job with the descriptions you felt as if you were right there with the characters. Oh, the cast was fantastic. The twists captured my attention it was a hard book to put down once I was able to read it. Lorelei Brogan has written a true gem I highly recommend.
Profile Image for Ruth Ann.
246 reviews3 followers
September 11, 2019
Running for her life

This was a very well book written by Lorelei Brogan and I enjoyed reading it. I couldn't put the book down. A young woman, a burned young man, fighting brothers, a growing relationship, a family tragedy, kidnapping, and a love for life. I would recommend this book to everyone. Buy it and enjoy reading
713 reviews11 followers
December 12, 2019
Great recipe for action!

This was a truly amazing recipe for adventure and intrigue. A western romance filled with controversy surrounding the characters. This dramatically told story of faith,hope and love will be a favorite of mine and the inspirational story about discovering forgiveness and redemption is one that everyone should read.
4,455 reviews30 followers
June 29, 2019
When I pick up a book by Lorelei Brogan I expect an active story line and interesting characters. This book fulfilled that expectation. Fern and Charley had to open up about their pasts before they could have a future. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.