ABOUT THE BOOK
Tessa O’Connor is tired of the high society lifestyle, and the pressure is on for her to marry a wealthy man. Fearful of becoming trapped in a life that would make her increasingly miserable, she decides to try the mail-order bride approach.
Meanwhile, Dean Samuels is struggling to take care of his two young children while managing his ranch and business in the wake of his wife’s death. He jokingly agrees to his brother’s suggestion to place an ad for a bride, never expecting that anyone would reply… or that he would develop feelings for her so quickly.
After several months of correspondence, it’s clear that there’s something burning between Tessa and Dean, and Tessa starts planning to run away to Montana to meet him.
Everything looks perfect… Until Tessa uncovers a secret… Can she really trust Dean? And how many of their private and intimate moments are less private than she thought?
But Dean isn’t the only one with a secret, and when he discovers what Tessa’s been hiding, he isn’t sure he can trust her either.
Is their relationship doomed to a fate of mistrust and secrecy? Or is the love between them enough to carry them through and find their way back to each other’s hearts?
MY REVIEW
I chose another book from my TBR pile. This time it is about a sweet historical romance between an unhappy Eastern high society mail order bride and a lonely Western hardworking ranch owner.
Westward Winds is book 1 in the Montana Mail Order Bride series told from dual perspectives (Tessa and Dean). It follows a rebellious mail-order bride from Pennsylvania to Montana who wants adventure in her life and to fall in love with a man of strength and substance. What she finds is a widower with two adorable children and two matchmaking brothers who only wants their brother’s happiness.
Tessa is reckless and headstrong as she decides to leave everything she knows to marry a stranger. I admire her nerve and vigor to find her happiness in an unknown land, but I found it questionable that she was able to fit into the ranch lifestyle so quickly. Tessa’s relationship with everyone is comfortable though Dean seems to keep his feelings to himself which becomes a problem. Dean is responsible and more serious than his brothers because he has two children to raise and a ranch to run. He also took charge after his parents died when Seth was away on a cattle drive and Marcus was too young at that time. In addition, Dean lost his wife and baby soon after which changed him. Therefore, communication problems abound between the stubborn Dean and the obstinate Tessa. After some advice from friends and family, the lovebirds work out their issues and live happily ever after.
I enjoyed Dean’s brothers, Seth and Marcus with their quick wit and unconditional love of family and I’m sure their own stories will be fun.
I liked the story, but the writing was too simplistic for me. It wasn’t descriptive enough and the characters’ conversations seemed stilted and didn’t draw me in until the last quarter of the book.
If you want a nice change of pace with a sweet, clean historical romance filled with laughter, angst, and love, give this book a try.
Montana Mail Order Brides
1. Mail Order Bride – Westward Winds (2014)
2. Mail Order Bride – Westward Dance (2014)
3. Mail Order Bride – Westward Bound (2014)
4. Mail Order Bride – Westward Destiny (2014)
5. Mail Order Bride – Westward Fortune (2014)
6. Mail Order Bride – Westward Justice (2014)
7. Mail Order Bride – Westward Dreams (2014)
8. Mail Order Bride – Westward Holiday (2014)
9. Mail Order Bride – Westward Sunrise (2014)
10. Mail Order Bride – Westward Moon (2017)
11. Mail Order Bride – Westward Christmas (2017)
12. Mail Order Bride – Westward Visions (2017)
13. Mail Order Bride – Westward Secrets (2017)
14. Mail Order Bride – Westward Changes (2017)
15. Mail Order Bride – Westward Heartbeat (2015)
16. Mail Order Bride – Westward Joy (2015)
17. Mail Order Bride – Westward Courage (2015)
18. Mail Order Bride – Westward Spirit (2015)
19. Mail Order Bride – Westward Fate (2015)
20. Mail Order Bride – Westward Hope (2015)
21. Mail Order Bride – Westward Wild (2015)
22. Mail Order Bride – Westward Sight (2015)
23. Mail Order Bride – Westward Horizons (2015)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Writing is a labor of love for Linda Bridey, whose works are consistently on several top 100 best-selling romance book lists. Since starting her writing career in earnest, Linda has written thirty-seven books and counting, which have gained great popularity. Readers are drawn to her vivid writing of mail-order bride and historical romance stories, many of which deal with social issues, and always include humor and heart.
Her Westward series, which includes twenty-three books, is set in Dawson, Montana. When the series ended, her readers wanted more of the characters they’d come to know and love–so much so that it prompted her to create the Dawson Chronicles, which picks up the stories of many of the descendants of the original characters, but can also be read as a stand-alone series.
Linda’s Echo Canyon series, tells the story of a small Montana town on the verge of extinction after the collapse of the mining industry in the region. It shows the ingenuity of the Echo’s inhabitants in how they come together to save the town they love. All is not always as it seems in Echo with mystery, suspense, and romance abound!
