Cheryl's Book Nook

Rachel Matthews isn't one to rely on others to take care of her. Destitute and alone, she still wants to make her own way and her own money--even if she's forced into the life of a dance hall girl. Horrified by her circumstances, Rachel's brother sends a friend--the widely admired cattle baron John McIntyre--to rescue her, then sets off to earn enough money to buy back the family ranch. But when months pass without her brother's return, Rachel isn't sure she can take one more day in John McIntyre's home--especially once she discovers that he's the one who holds the deed to her family's ranch. Sparks fly between this spunky, independent heroine and the ruggedly handsome hero as they navigate the snarled terrain of pride, greed, faith, and love in Maggie Brendan's delightful series set in the Old West. Review by Blanche Mancuso   Author, Maggie Brendan brings a great story of the life and times of ranch life in Montana. Where people are concerned...

Patience Cavanaugh has lost hope in romance. The man she yearned to marry is dead and her dreams are gone with him. Now she is consumed with restoring a dilapidated boardinghouse in order to support herself. Despite Patience's desire for solitude, Jedediah Jones, the local marshal with a reputation for hanging criminals, becomes an ever-looming part of her life. It seems like such a simple arrangement: She needs someone with a strong back to help her fix up the boardinghouse. He needs a dependable source of food for himself and his prisoners. But as she gets to know this "hanging lawman," Patience finds there is far more to him than meets the eye--and it could destroy their tenuous relationship forever. With a keen eye for historical detail and a deft hand at romantic tension, Maggie Brendan invites you to a Montana gold rush boomtown, where vices and virtues are on full display and love is lying in wait. Review by Blanche Mancuso The author pens a great story...

  Book Summary   Anna Olsen knows it's time to leave her sister's increasingly crowded house and start a life of her own. Following her sisters' examples, she becomes a mail-order bride, and after a short correspondence with clock maker and jeweler Edward Parker, she moves to Denver to become his wife. Almost immediately it's painfully apparent that Anna and Edward are very different. Anna is a free spirit who would rather be painting and enjoying the company of friends than cleaning house. Edward is a consummate perfectionist who, on their wedding day, hands Anna a list of chores that need to be done around the house daily. Can this mismatched couple see past their differences to a harmonious future? Or will their disparate passions create obstacles neither is willing to surmount? Maggie Brendan closes her Blue Willow Brides series with a heartwarming tale of true love despite misunderstanding, showing readers that God's timing is always perfect. Review...

Peter Andersen is a farmer in Wyoming. His mother has been pressuring him to get married. Since the ratio of men to women in Wyoming is about five to one, Peter decides to put an ad in the newspaper for a bride. Catherine Olsen answers the ad. Soon she and Peter are communicating with each other be mail. Catherine is about to meet Peter for the first time. And because Catherine is the only caregiver to her sisters, Greta and Anna, she is bring them along as well. Hopefully, Peter has the room for two extra people. Deeply Devoted is book one in the Blue Willow Brides series. I like reading about the old West. One of the things I also find fascinating is reading stories about mail order brides. I have only read a hand full of these stories but I enjoy them. I thought that Mrs. Brendan did a wonderful job of portraying the West and the characters. I didn’t really have a favorite person in this story as I liked them all. Each person was unique in their own way. Out of the three sis...