The Borrowed Bride

by Susan Wiggs

During her own bridal shower, Isabel Wharton is whisked away by past love Dan Black Horse to his retreat in the Cascade range. But returning to her Native roots, and Dan's loving arms, is harder than she ever imagined.

Genres: Westerns, Historical, Historical Romance, Romance, Marriage Of Convenience, Western Romance, Western Historical Romance

107 pages, Kindle Edition

About the author

Susan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends...and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers' group in a 17-foot motorboat. She serves as author liaison for Field's End, a literary community on Bainbridge Island, Washington, bringing inspiration and instruction from the world's top authors to her seaside community. (See www.fieldsend.org) She's been featured in the national media, including NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.

According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. The Winter Lodge and Passing Through Paradise have appeared on PW’s annual "Best Of" lists. Several of her books have been listed as top Booksense picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.

The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. Readers can learn more on the web at www.susanwiggs.com and on her lively blog at www.susanwiggs.wordpress.com.

Reviews

[Lori ◡̈ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah!!! A western, frontier story that is NOT clean and wholesome 😈 . That makes me sound bad, but honestly 99% of the westerns I come across are inspirational and clean, I prefer a little more spice and a little less scripture to my stories.

With that being said, I found this storyline to be refreshing in that we had a ranching family storyline withOUT a rich neighbouring ranch owner terrorising our hero/heroine in a fight for land ownership, etc. So I was so happy to not have to read thru that drama. The only drama in this story was the unknown whereabouts of Baby Daddy, the mean new mother-in-law, and the falling in love of our main couple.

In my opinion, the Baby Daddy struck me right from the beginning as a complete loser, totally immature and irresponsible. I still felt that way at the end of the book, and have no desire to read the next book in the series with him being the "hero".

The mother-in-law was a sour, bitter old lady. I initially was thinking "man, I wouldn't have taken her BS, I would have talked-back for sure!"... but then we come to find out about her issue, and it all made sense. (good part on the author).

I also initially thought that the heroine was a simpleton idiot, but then realised she came from a very sheltered simple life of a huge loving family and most likely never had dealt with such unpleasant people before, so I also thought the author wrote her very realistically as well.

As for the romance... I just wish the book could have been longer so the author could have spent a wee bit more time showing the H/h falling in love. (it seemed like each chapter started a few months apart).

[willaful · Rating 3 out of 5]

Judd Seavers proposes to his brother's pregnant fiance with the best motives and intentions: “He would treat Hannah as a sister, keeping her at a distance, avaoiding any physical contact that might be misunderstood. When Quint returned, he would sign the divorce papers and hand her over to the father of her child, untouched. His behavior would be above reproach.” He doesn't count on how much he would come to feel for the beautiful woman who's his legal wife.

Hannah Gustavson knows she has to save her unborn child from wretched poverty and the stigma of illegitimacy, though it breaks her heart to marry someone other than her beloved Quint. But she finds herself unexpectedly drawn to the quiet, suffering man who's always there when she needs him. "Two different men, each of them hers in a different way. Heaven help her, was it possible to love them both?"

I found this sweet and enjoyable, but after having recently read books with similar plots by more powerful writers (Sweet Lullaby,The Way Home,) it fell a little flat. The characters are likable but shallowly drawn, the themes are equally shallow, and the happy ending is implausibly quick. I am certainly curious to read the sequel though.

[La Bruja Lectora (Tata) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sencillo pero muy bonito, es una historia totalmente blanca, el romance es puro y simple, y escasas escenas se sexo, pero el contexto en si es atrayente.
Hanna siempre estuvo enamorada de su mejor amigo al punto de entregarle su virginidad, pero al día siguiente este tomo el tren a Alaska en busca de fortuna en las minas de oro, al mismo tiempo su hermano Judd llegaba de la guerra en España con sus fantasmas y el cuerpo mal trecho, en el anden su amargada Madre le esperaba con cara de asco junto a Hanna a quien despreciaba por ser pobre y vivir en la granja de al lado del rancho Seaver.

El amor siempre triunfa cuando es verdadero, Hanna y Judd se casan tras el inminente embrazo de esta, por honor Judd decide que su sobrino no sera un bastardo y propone un simple matrimonio a Hanna con papeles listo para el divorcio en cuanto regrese su hermano, pero esto no sucede, entre tanta calamidad esta bonita pareja termina enamorándose.

Un bonito libro que nos presenta Harlequin Iberica, esta muy bien para pasar el rato....

[Fani *loves angst* · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Might still raise it to 5 because the ending was very strong. Very good romance, emotional without being angsty, but needed a little more depth in the main characters to become trully a keeper.

[Robin Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quint is headed off to find adventures in Alaska. He's wanted to do so for awhile, but with his father dead and his older brother off fighting in the war, he had to stay home and keep the ranch running. Now Judd is coming home, and it's Quint's turn to travel, leaving his childhood sweetheart behind.

Judd and his best friend signed up together and fought together. But now Judd is coming home alone, with a broken body, a broken spirit, and nightmares.

Hannah is devastated that Quint is leaving. She writes to him every week, but there are no letters from him. No word from him, to her, or to his brother and mother. The night before his departure, she gave herself to him in a hay barn. And she soon realizes that she now carries a piece of him, growing inside her.

This was a sweet little story. When I picked it up I was looking for something light. It wasn't. It was in fact a little bleak at times, a little sad. Hannah is young and desperately in love with Quint, but realizing she's pregnant makes her have to grow up quickly. When Judd learns of her pregnancy, he offers marriage, in order to give her his family's name, make her child legitimate, protect her from disgrace. Judd's family is well off, Hannah's is dirt poor. It's to be a marriage in name only. Judd has divorce papers already drawn up and ready to signed the minute Quint comes home.

It was a valiant offer, but I couldn't help wonder what would have happened if Quint did come home, Hannah and Judd divorced, and Hannah married Quint. I can just imagine the gossip and speculation that would cause among the townsfolk.

But it doesn't matter, because of course as time goes by Hannah and Judd fall for each other. Hannah was a good character, sweet. But at times I wanted to shake her and tell her to quit pining for the brother who just up and left, without a look back, and appreciate the man taking care of her. Because I really liked Judd. He was a good man, with a lot of emotional scars, not just from the war, but also revolving around his father's death many years prior. With Quint gone, we don't really get to know him, but it's still clear that Quint is a boy, and Judd is a man.

The ending was satisfying, although part of the resolution felt a bit rushed. Quint does finally come home. His reaction was expected, but then he went from one extreme to another, and I felt like he bounced back unrealistically quick. However, it is Judd and Hannah's story, not Quint's, so I guess I shouldn't actually have expected much dwelling on him. But I do look forward to reading his story in the next book.

Review first posted on my blog.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and 1/2 stars.

Hannah, from an impoverished but hard-working, loving family, has a final night with her boyfriend before he leaves to make his fortune on the Goldfields. She's pregnant, but her boyfriend is suddenly uncontactable and it looks like Hannah is heading for doom. When her boyfriend's brother, Judd, finds out she's pregnant he offers her a marriage in name-only so the baby isn't born a bastard, adding that they can get divorced when his brother receives her letters and returns.

I liked a lot of aspects of this book. The relationship between Judd and Hannah is sweet and builds fairly naturally over time, as does Hannah's resignation to the loss of her boyfriend as months go by with no contact. The mother and housekeeper characters were a little one-dimensional, but the bravery with which the author tackled some of the harder issues raised by Hannah's plight more than made up for it - at first I had assumed the boyfriend would come back married, or dead. I was very satisfied that he came back loving Hannah still and expecting her to feel the same way. The way she ends up with Judd felt more like the result of her forthrightness (is that a word?) and less like a cop-out. Also, I liked that there weren't too many misunderstandings between the characters that weren't cleared up within a page or so by people actually talking to each other.

The main thing I didn't like was that I felt one of Judd's main plot lines was unresolved, and the other resolved in a way so off-handed as to make it meaningless. He never confronts his mother about her feeling that he caused his father's death, and he never really deals with that guilt himself. And his PTSD (at apparently NOT shooting his friend) being cured by a night of cuddles was sweet but really?

On a personal note, this made me feel like such a baby for the way I gave birth. Hannah is in the back of a wagon in snow drift and doesn't even cry out, whereas I had a nurse come in and ask my husband to ask me if I could not swear quite so often or so loudly because I was scaring passers-by. I think he knew what mood I was in because he didn't pass that along till after I was cuddling my bub later.

Overall this was a really nice book about accepting change and being honest with others and yourself. Really enjoyed it.

[Ridley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, this book was just okay. I liked the tension between the hero and heroine and their families, and the mystery over Quint's whereabouts kept me reading until I finished it in one sitting, but the romance was ultimately left undeveloped.

All of their thoughts of desire and angst over not wanting to betray Quint just seemed unsubstantiated. I didn't really see two people talking to each other and discovering a connection, I saw Romancelandia®-style elemental attraction where a chaste kiss or touch sets a treacherous body on fire. It's a common shortcut, for sure, but when used in a story where the heroine transfers her love from her lifelong beau to his brother, it's extra problematic. The hero spends much of their first married year away from her -- first leaving the day after their wedding to attend a weeks-long roundup and then leaving for months to look for Quint in Alaska. In the absence of conversation or some other sort of relationship building, what is there to convince me that Hannah's change of heart isn't just fickleness or gratitude? How do I know she won't flake out on Judd later?

The one thing I did really like about the book, though, was the cultural diversity of the characters. Lots of westerns imagine the place as homogenous and WASPy, but immigrants were everywhere in reality. So I really enjoyed that Hannah's parents were Norwegian, Judd's mother's nurse was German and the cook they hire later on was a Mexican. It was a refreshing change.

[Su · Rating 2 out of 5]

A much used plot but not very well handled here. Most of the book H and h had only 3 days together as married couple. I don't know how they managed to fall in love in those three days.
SPOILER ALERT
Then, finally they are together for some happy months before brother comes back. That is when H just decides to sign the divorce papers, leave them to get married and he himself make a new life in one of the several options states and maybe find another women several years later (!!!).... all these decisions are being made without one word to h. To me this doesn't sound like a man desperately in love with his wife. He just gave up on her so easily and so quickly. I don't know how h could forgive that spinelessness in the name of being honorable!

[Naima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sepertinya aku lagi beruntung banget nemu cerita2 yang bagus. Dan jelas ini cerita yang bagus, bersetting tempat di Amerika. Sepanjang cerita aku dibuat penasaran bagaimana akhirnya, maksudku jelas akhirnya pastilah si tokoh utama bersatu tapi bagaimana prosesnya itulah yang bikin aku penasaran. Rasanya hatiku terus diremas-remas oleh setiap kejadian, dialog, dan pikiran para tokohnya. Ketidakpastian dan kekacauan yang didapati oleh Hannah dan Judd.
Bercerita tentang Hannah yang menjalin kasih dengan teman sepermainannya semenjak kecil, Quint. Hingga suatu hari Quint memutuskan untuk merantau untuk berburu emas di Alaska bertepatan dengan sang kakak yang baru kembali dari perang, Judd. 3 bulan kemudian Hannah hamil. Untuk menjaga nama baik keluarga juga agar anak yang dikandung Hannah terlahir sebagai anak yang sah, Judd pun menikahi Hannah. Perjanjiannya Judd hanya akan menjadi penjaga Hannah dan memperlakukannya seperti adik menunggu Quint kembali. Kemudian Judd akan menandatangani surat cerai sehingga Hannah bisa menikahi Quint. Hanya saja perasaan Judd pada Hannah tidak seperti perasaan seorang kakak, demikian juga Hannah. Meskipun begitu mereka mencoba tetap setia dan teguh memegang janjinya. Setiap minggu Hannah mengirim surat pada Quint tak tak pernah ada kabar berita. Hingga Judd memutuskan untuk menyusul Quint. Pencariannya nihil. Tak ada jejak Quint sama sekali. Judd berkesimpulan sesuatu yang terburuk telah terjadi pada Quint. Tapi Hannah menolak kenyataan itu. Hingga Hannah melahirkan di tengah badai salju saat dalam perjalanan kembali dari rumah orang tua Hannah. Judd lah yang membantu proses kelahirannya.
Kemudian datang kabar tak menyenangkan, ditemukan tas Quint yang masih utuh tak tersentuh di kirim dari sebuah hotel di San Fransisco. Judd sudah pasrah jika adiknya telah tiada. Ia berharap Hannah mau menerimanya juga dan mulai memikirkan masa depan mereka. Judd sudah tak bisa menahan diri lagi untuk bisa menyentuh istrinya, Hannah sah baginya di mata hukum. Hanya saja Hannah masih berharap Quint suatu saat akan datang, melewati pintu depan rumah mereka dalam keadaan sehat. Judd kesal, ia memutuskan dalam hati jika dalam beberapa waktu tertentu Hannah masih belum bisa menerimanya, ia akan meminta kebebasannya kembali.
Suatu hari Judd pergi ke kota, mengantar mantan pengurus rumah tangga mereka yang memutuskan untuk pindah ke kota lain, terjadi badai salju yang hebat. Hannah tentu saja mengkhawatirkan Judd. Orang-orang disekelilingnya telah pergi meninggalkan dirinya. Pertama Quint, kemudian ayah dan ibu mertuanya meninggal disusul Gretel pengurus rumah tangganya, jika Judd juga meninggalkannya Hannah akan hancur. Makanya begitu melihat Judd kembali Hannah tidak ragu-ragu lagi.
Aku tidak bisa berhenti membaca cerita ini, selalu saja ada “what’s next?” Bagaimana akhirnya Judd dan Hannah bersatu, lalu bagaimana Quint? Kapan Quint kembali? Dan apa alasan di balik ketiadaan jejaknya di Alaska? Apakah Quint masih ingin menikah dengan Hannah? Bagaimana dengan Judd?
Salut dengan kesabaran dan pengorbanan Judd menghadapi Hannah, kesetiaan Hannah yang selalu rajin mengirim surat pada Quint. Di setiap bagian cerita tidak ada bagian yang sia-sia. Semuanya memberi pengaruh pada bagian berikutnya.

[N.W. Moors · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick read and a fairly satisfying story. Hannah gets pregnant by her long-term beau Quint who has left for the Alaskan gold fields. With no other choice, she marries his brother Judd to give the baby a name and avoid disgrace. Judd has PTSD from his time in the Spanish-American War and vows to keep this marriage in name only with a divorce once his brother returns.
Hannah's large family is Swedish and poor, while Judd owns a large ranch. Judd's mother is not kind to Hannah, blaming her for Quint's departure.
My only problem with the story was that I didn't feel Hannah and Judd's romance. It seemed to come out of nowhere, complicated by their feelings of honor and loyalty to Quint, but still didn't feel quite real. It's more Judd's loneliness and Hannah's practicality than any true feelings of love. It's a sweet story with some passionate scenes.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

She's not a cup of sugar, guys!

A marriage for respectability has insurmountable obstacles to clear nasty MIL, war nightmares & guilty longing while waiting for intrepid baby daddy to return or death notice, before they can think of a HEA.

The prickling feeling, tension builds, a new disaster was dumped on the couple who are afraid to share. Loved the characters, descriptive scenery, the plot & it's twists. Kept me turning pages.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judd Seavers has come back from being a Rough Rider and learning that war wasn't all glory. Quint Seavers has been aching to go off for an adventure of his own and decides to go to Alaska as soon as Judd returns.

Soon after, Hannah Gustavson realizes she and Quint are going to have a baby. When Quint doesn't return, Judd agrees to marry Hannah so her baby will have a name.

What happens seems to be very realistic. This is book one of a two book series.

[Karen Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

Good love story about a woman who becomes pregnant by her love. He then leaves for Alaska not knowing she is expecting. His older agrees to marry her to give her child a last name. They agree to a marriage in name only. The older brother searches for the baby’s father but cannot find him so it is presumed he is dead. The older brother falls in love with the woman and she with him. The brother returns and there is fire works. Good believable characters.

[Ammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Judd marries his brother’s finance to give the their baby a name until he returns from his adventures. They plan to divorce upon his return. When they receive devastating news their relationship takes a turn for the romantic. A surprise revelation has unexpected consequences for all involved

[Annii · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. The chaacters were fun, and the story was compelling enough to keep me reading for most of the afternoon. She's also good at setting the scene, and describing the physical environment. The ending was a little bit 'neat' - I think Quint should have been more upset - but it was satisfying, and all in all, this was a good book.

[Jessica Vargas · Rating 3 out of 5]

No fue un gran libro,pero tampoco el peor. Me pareció que las muertes fueron innecesaria,ademas que fue fastidioso en cuanto las cartas. Judd me parecio que fue el mejor personaje de toda la obra. Ya que lo demas no le ponia accion. El libro solo me tomo 2 horas de leerlo y esperaba mas. El final fue lo mas bonito por eso le regale 3/5

[The Book Coyote · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. The chaacters were fun, and the story was compelling enough to keep me reading for most of the afternoon. She's also good at setting the scene, and describing the physical environment. The ending was a little bit 'neat' - I think Quint should have been more upset - but it was satisfying, and all in all, this was a good book.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book pretty well. There were no glaring historical anachronisms. The author did pretty well giving a feeling of the times. The ending seemed a bit hasty. Still a good enough read to encourage me to try the author again.

[Lavon Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book.didn't want to quit reading until I finished the book.recommend to readers .

The plot of book makes you want to see what happens next , want to read not write this re view", yes I don't want to write a review now

[Mari]

published 2010
During her own bridal shower, Isabel Wharton is whisked away by past love Dan Black Horse to his retreat in the Cascade range. But returning to her Native roots, and Dan's loving arms, is harder than she ever imagined.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A break with this not bad little western romance helped me deal with the intensity of another book I'm trying to read.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah you probably already read this plot before but just for Judd, you gotta read it. He was just so perfect husband material.

[Iliana_r · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet and lovely. Light to have on a sunday afternoon.

[Sianne Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Great story, believe characters and great twists in the end. Really enjoyed it, so easy to read. A real page turner.

[Jocelyn Montalvo Cullum]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14138310

[Carol Rankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Borrowed Bride

Great surprises and terrific action. A lot of people in the story stayed in the background but love won out.

[Yla · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the entire story the best part was the conflict. The conflict between betraying one brother and falling for another kept me at the edge of my seat.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

HH #920 = 4+ stars

[Angelica Morado-Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good love story! It involves a ranch in Colorado during the 1890’s. The main characters are two brothers, their mother, and the younger brother sweetheart.

[Natalija · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the premise was very intriguing, the writing was rather boring.