Courtney Adams never questioned the future her parents laid out for her...until the day she was to marry one of Boston's elite. Desperate, she flees the church in a flurry of bridal finery and trades her pearls for a train ticket to Montana—only to be mistaken for a surly cowboy's mail order bride! Dean Lawton doesn't want a wife—especially not some fancy Eastern lady he believes his brother "ordered" behind his back. Yet one mistake leads to another, and before the dust can settle, he finds himself married to a woman who challenges him at every step...and sets his wounded heart ablaze. But the clock is ticking on this marriage of inconvenience, and soon Dean must decide: convince Courtney to remain in his arms, or lose her light forever...
This was a cute read. I read through it pretty quickly. I liked both main characters and the overall story. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

This is Courtney Adams and Dean Lawton’s story, 2nd in the Runaway Brides Series, a standalone, happily ever after, historical romance.
Choices made in the spur of the moment, change two people’s lives; leading them on the road to happily every after. This was a beautifully written romance, engaging from the beginning to the end. The characters were well rounded and interesting; the story had a bit of humor, intrigue and of course romance. Loved it! More in this series, I’m hoping.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars. While it's a step above the average historical romance, I wanted more meat to it. More emotional angst from the characters, a more complicated plot, more character development. I enjoyed it, but the relationship wasn't memorable for me the way the first book in the series was. There was good dialogue, good sexual chemistry, good love scenes, but I was left with the feeling something was missing and just wanted more of everything!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

This is book 2 in the Runaway Bride Series.
This is the story of Courtney and Dean.
Courtney is a Boston socialite getting ready to marry a man she's been engaged to since she was 2. When she recieves a message from her fiance , that was meant from another woman, she realizes that they are both marrying or off duty, not love. So she becomes a runaway bride.
Dean is a real western cowboy. He runs a cattle ranch in Montana. His brother has been after him to get one of those mail order brides from back east. He feels Dean is too lonely.
When Dean goes to the post office to pick up a pkg for his brother, he finds a bride standing on the steps and assumes this is the pkg.
The adventure between Courtney and Dean start here.
The book has many funny moments. It also had a little bit of a mystery. It flowed easily and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to book 3.

I was grateful to receive a free copy of The Cowboy's Honor in exchange for an honest review. What a fun story. Poor Dean. He just couldn't catch a break. I'm still shaking my head and laughing about the way he ended up married to Courtney. Courtney was also very fortunate that everything turned out the way it did. So many things could have gone wrong for her traveling west, unescorted, without funds, and wearing a lavish wedding dress. It was definitely worthwhile seeing Courtney's transformation from a rich and entitled girl, to an actual frontier woman.

I would highly recommend this book to friends and family, and I'll be looking for more books from the author, Amy Sandas.

Courtney has always been the dutiful daughter, never veering from her parent’s wishes including marrying a childhood friend, one of Boston’s elite, a man she does not romantically love but hopes to in time. When she discovers that her almost-husband is in love with another woman Courtney does the only thing she can think of – she runs away from the wedding, beautiful bridal gown flowing behind her. Her intention was to make her way to a friend in Montana who has also made the break for her own happiness… but things didn’t quite turn out as intended.

Dean has no desire to settle down. At one time that would have been his wish but the death of the woman he was to marry in a tragic accident has colored his perception of what happened with years of self-inflicted guilt and heavy sadness. Oh, he knows full well that his happily married brother wants the same for him and on this trip to town to pick up a “package” his brother ordered Dean made an assumption – and we all know what assume means, right?

Ending up in a small town that was not her destination, Courtney has no choice but to try to send a message to her friend and survive on her own until help arrives. The last thing she expected to be dealing with was a harassing stranger or being carted off to yet another wedding by one stubborn man who will not listen to her. Dean had, perhaps, good intentions but everything backfires on him when he realizes his mistake… one that is not as easily fixed as he had thought.

Courtney and Dean must spend one month together before their marriage can be dissolved… one month where anything could happen.

I love Amy Sandas’ new venture into Western Historical Romance. I enjoyed her Regency Romance novels, but honestly, I adore her spin on the American West as she gives each story a slightly quirky, totally different spin. And I’m loving it, without a doubt.

THE COWBOY’S HONOR is a funny, charming, intense romance between strangers who are finding themselves far more attracted to each other than either ever expected. Their story is full of banter, mystery, danger, laughter and a lovely happy ending. Watching Dean be healed by Courtney’s love was a beautiful sight, even if he did at times fight her efforts. And experiencing Courtney’s excitement and sense of accomplishment as she learns new things, faces new challenges and finds love with her stranger was sheer delight. I liked this couple to start with and loved them completely by their happy ever after ending.

There are some intriguing and interesting secondary characters that I would love to see more of one day.

In all, I had such a good time with THE COWBOY’S HONOR and if you love Western Historical Romance then I’ve no doubt that you’d enjoy this story and series as well. I would not hesitate to recommend this one to any reader who loves a good romance, a solid story, a couple to like and cheer on, a mystery to solve and a very good time.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

A great second entry into the Runaway Brides series!

Courtney and Dean's story was a great adventure with fun characters and a slow-burn romance. I really liked the initial premise on how they were brought together and the changes in their relationship as they grow closer were so well done!

The Cowboy’s Honor
Runaway Brides book 2
by Amy Sandas

What an amazing second book of the Runaway Brides!

I just adore western romance and this just hit all the right spots! Courtney is not happy with her arranged nuptials and definatly not in love with her bridegroom. What’s a bride to do on her wedding day? Runaway of course! And thus her adventure begins. Boarding a train in all her wedding attire she’s mistakenly exchanged one man for another,
Dean has been heartbroken and doesn’t want a wife so when a misunderstanding has him married quicker than he can blink he’s married to a woman he hardly knows. And their adventure begins and what an adventure!
I urge fans of historical western romance to pick up Amy Sandas books, cleverly written with real emotions and witty banter. Deans and Courtney’s chemistry was a slow burn and I loved the humour. The secondary characters added to the story. This was a fantastic read that I highly recommend! I LOVED IT!!!!!

I recieved a complimentary copy from the publisher Via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinion.

I absolutely adore this book! I love a book that gets the reader emotionally invested in the characters and plot. This book has an interesting and unique premise that I could not put it down. I love Dean and Courtney’s slow-burn passionate story.

4.5 stars

4.5 stars

Courtney is fleeing from a wedding that would set her up to be among societies elite. Shes never been expected to deviate from her parents plans, suddenly she finds herself married to another and forced to spend time before an annulment will be granted. Finding a new independence, and backbone she kept covered will bring her into a life she she’s wished for.

Dean has his life planned out, take care of himself, watch out for his family, and protect the ranch. After badly misreading a sign Dean has found himself married and hating every minute of it. Finding a feisty, well-mannered, well-spoken bride who reminded him of every insult he’s ever made is making his life very interesting. Dean finds himself quickly falling for Courtney, only when trouble finds a way into his home does he acknowledge his feelings for her.

A Cowboy’s Honor is a historical romance that takes readers on an emotional ride. The love they build is so intense, it bubbles over and consumes them both; anger at wasted lives, hope for the new lives being brought into the world and the ranch renewing its livelihood. The plot flowed nicely from scene to scene, keeping readers fully engaged. Ms. Sandas’ characters are top-notch, each one very relatable, the struggles they faced are every day challenges for some of us years later. The Cowboy’s Honor will be a highly recommended book for a long time!

I was given a ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

This is a crazy good book that only Amy Sandas could pull off. Can't wait for this next one in this series.

The Cowboy’s Honor is the second book in the runaway brides trilogy. I am loving these books so far, and man this author did great in her Regency romances but she has excelled in writing Western’s and they are so fun. If you like books with the Wild West….these are books you need to grab up because they are written so superb. I love seeing this story develop and what I have loved about this series so far is how engaging these books are. They pull the reader immediately into the story and you just don’t want to put it down EVER. I was so addicted to this story and couldn’t wait to see these two reach their HEA.

The Cowboy’s Honor begins with our heroine, who lives out East in Boston, with her family and is about to be married to a childhood friend, and even though she knows its her duty she hopes one day to love her future husband. But when she learns that he loves another woman and has kept that knowledge from her, she takes a page from her friends book and runs away from the wedding, her family and her life in Boston to find something new and have some adventure. Courtney Adams, is traveling across the west hoping she reaches Montana soon but then her stagecoach shortens the stop from Helena, and she is stranded is a small town and will have to survive on the little coin she has left until she can get word to her friend who lives days away. But then before she realizes it a sexy cowboy saves her from a creepy man that was going to take advantage of her. But she finds herself married to the stranger somehow.

Dean Lawton, runs a ranch with his brother and his brother is happily married and wants Dean to find love too and keeps trying to convince him to order a mail order bride from back east but Dean has his own reasons for not wanting to marry a woman. But when his brother insists he picks up a package from town, he goes and finds Courtney, who is wearing a wedding gown and from the East coast and he assumes she is sent by his brother and just marries her to protect her until he can divorce her and send her on her way in the near future. But the judge won’t free them from the marriage until they live together for a full month. So now Dean and Courtney have to find a peaceful way to live with each other for a full month. Things are tense between Dean and Courtney, at first, but soon the desire they have for each other builds into a sweeping love tale….

I ADORED this book so much, and I have to say I hope Amy Sandas sticks with Western romances because she is so good at them. I have enjoyed these books more than her Regency novels. I am not sure exactly what the difference is per say, but I just love how these are written and they are definitely my catnip in every way. In The Cowboy’s Honor we have a marriage of convenience set up, but a unique way of seeing this trope and I really admired that this author had a different twist to it. Seeing these two find a common ground with each other and discover if they want to stay together after the month is over or be separated for good. We see so much growth in our heroine though. She is a city girl through and through, but I loved her energy and eagerness to try new things like cooking a meal by herself or doing laundry or even learning to shoot a pistol. It was like as the reader, we experience everything alongside her and how much she devours all the information she learns about her new life. Its like she is truly finding herself on this journey of self-discovery and I loved how much she craves new experiences and doesn’t shy away from them.

Our hero has a tough past, he lost his fiancee when she died from a horrible horse accident and blames himself for everything including her wanting to leave him for another man. He puts so much guilt on himself he doesn’t allow himself to be happy until the situation with Courtney happens and he has to face up to his past and his own fears and guilt. I did love seeing him face his past and fight for the love he feels for Courtney. We do have a back plot to the story that is about someone trying to destroy what Rafe has built in his ranch and the twist in the plot that I didn’t see coming but I was really happy with the ending and how the story evolves.

The romance that develops between these two is angsty at first, but not full angst, its more of a slow steady angst as they learn to trust in each other and try to deal in compromise and adapt to their new situation. I loved this set up though and seeing them try to find what they need in each other, solve the mystery and learning what is most important in life. We see some great friendships and fun side characters I want more of.

Overall The Cowboy’s Honor is a captivating love tale that sweeps the reader off their feet, its a story of sacrifice, self discovery and deep emotion….A WILD WEST GEM!!

I really enjoyed this! The setup worked surprisingly well, and while I wish we’d had more of a slow burn/time to see them grow to care for each other, I liked it a lot.

Amy Sandas writes beautiful love stories. Courtney is as fiery as her red hair. She is a fighter and makes for some awesome scenes in the book. Dean is cautious and stoic until the whirlwind that is Courtney comes into his life. It is a vibrant and fun story. The author weaves a tale of resilience and love. The supporting characters such as Randall add charm and extra appeal to the story. It is a delightful read that will leave you with a smile on your face.

I am big fan of Sandas, I think she writes some really interesting plots and I love authors who gives me historical romances in different time periods.

This book is well written, and I love the premise, but ultimately I felt the romance and chemistry was lacking for me. The heroine was doing most of the chasing in this story, and the hero did a lot of pushing away, blew cold most of the time, except during moments of lust and a few scenes. I could understand why someone would fall in love with Courtney, our heroine who went from being a pampered Boston socialite to an indepedent woman on a ranch, made friends with his family and took everything in stride; but I didn't see why Courntey would fall for Dean, whose appeal (outside of physical attractiveness) seems to be way he was responsible to his ranch, the people he supported, and loved his family. Those are not enough qualities for a woman to fall for.

While Dean had a past that could attribute to why he would push her away, initially, I wish that we could see a softening and a change of his viewpoint sooner, and less suddenly. I felt that the moments he gave in to her, more of it was physical attraction.

Case in point, right after the first kiss, at the 60% mark, this is the dialogue that occured (skipping some of the actions in between):
"Dean I -"
"This was a mistake," he interrupted harshly. "I don't want a wife."
[...]
"I understand," she replied softly, [...]
"You still love her."
"It's not about Anne," he replied, his voice low and raw as he turned away from her.
"This has never had anything to do with her. It's about you."

Whatever could anyone take from that but as an insult? She bids him goodnight, and say it won't happen again. He comes back later in the evening, she makes to leave, and he then says:

"Don't go."
"I can't get you out of my head," he muttered in irritation. "No matter what I do."
Courntey didn't reply. She wasn't the slightest bit sorry for making him think of her. [...]
"I wanna take you to bed, Courtney, so bad it makes me ache. I tried to stay away. Tried not to think about you." His voice roughened. "I just can't shake it."
The words bought an instant image to mind of lying besides his large male body, moving her hands over his skin, looking into his eyes, kissing him.
Goodness, how she wanted to kiss him again. And more.
"Then stop trying," she whispered in reply.
When he lifted his gaze again, what she saw there made her insides go warm and melty. Heat, hunger, and an intense desire to hold nothing back.
"I sure as hell hope you mean that."
[...]
"I do."

So he comes back and then confesses to physical attraction, no apology for his words, and she is ok with that.

They proceeded to bed, and right before they have sex (and it would be her first time), he tells her it's a no string attached, and she agrees anyways, and convinces him. "Please don't be sorry," she pleaded softly, allowing the need inside her to become evident in her voice. She didn't want to shield her feelings from him. Not now. "I won't be."

I understand she left home to have an adventure and start a new life, but she seems really forward for someone who haven't heard all the specifics of the marriage bed. I wish Dean would have given us more for me and I wish for him to have done some of the work to get us to this point.

The finale does include a good grovel and grand gesture from our hero, and a no-holds back confession of his feelings for her, but I felt they came a little late and sudden. I wish we could have seen more of time for them to be together, where he may have initiated the interaction more, and more deeper dialogue.

I hope to see more of this author's work in this era and I love her HR as well. This one was just not my favourite.

Reading this story helped solidify why I have fallen in love with historical western romance! It contains all the elements for a captivating storyline that kept me entertained until the very last page! In Boston, Courtney Adams was all set to marry a man her parents had arranged. When she finds out her betrothed is in love with someone else, she becomes a runaway bride and gets on a train to Montana. Can you just see the scene? A bride all dressed up, grabbing a train and focusing on getting to a friend she knows out west! But as fate would have it, she winds up married to Dean Lawton when he mistakes her for a mail order bride he thinks his brother has ordered! He feels honor bound to marry her. Oh yes, the adventure begins!
It does not take long to realize his error and that she was not there for his brother, he finds out they will have to wait at least a few weeks until they can get the marriage annulled. He thinks she is just a spoiled city girl who cannot do anything, but she surprises him and learns to cook and take care of the house and keeps and optimistic outlook. He begins to feel hope that they might just work out and not need that annulment.
Of course it is never that easy and with some misunderstandings, a villain and the past coming back up, they may not ever find any happiness.
Loved this story with the author creating wonderful characters while making the old west come alive! Cannot wait to read more! I read this through NetGallery.
PS isn't that cover stunning?

I read the first book in the Runaway Brides series and enjoyed it very much. I eagerly awaited the next book, hoping to like it just as much. Amy Sandas did not disappoint! This heartfelt sequel contained everything I could want from a romance: smiles, heartbreak, tears, suspense, steamy loving and, of course, true love.

Courtney Adams was about to be married to a man of her social class, chosen by her parents. She receives a letter actually intended for another - her fiance 's lover. Can you say awkward? Not willing to enter into a marriage where her husband loves another, she jumps out the window, dressed in her wedding gown, and runs. She heads west to Helena, Montana, where her friend Alexandra now lives; she is still in her wedding gown. On the trip she meets grumpy rancher Dean Lawton. Dean, after an earlier conversation with his brother, believes Courtney is a mail order bride. He quickly marries her to keep her safe; she thinks they are simply witnesses to another wedding. Awkward again! The judge says they will have to wait four weeks before he will grant them an annulment.

Thus begins a lovely story of opposites attract. Courtney, though pampered and raised in affluence, is no shrinking violet. She quickly adapts to her surroundings, determined to become an independent woman. Dean, who apparently is still dealing with his mother walking out years ago and his own tragic broken engagement, fights his growing attraction to his wife. Dean is one stubborn man; there were times I got extremely frustrated with him. But he is definitely worth sticking with. And Courtney is a fantastic heroine, even though she could be stubborn herself. Throw in Dean's delightful brother and in-laws and some suspense (just who is slaughtering Dean's livestock?) and you have a completely satisfying western romance. I can't wait to see what comes next in this series!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Mistaken identities at its finest..We have Courtney a runaway bride who figures out that her fiance was in love with someone else. She runs and since she is in her gear she is mistaken for Dean's brothers mail order bride. Dean had no intention of marrying anytime soon but he refuses to let his brother get taken advantage of, so they get married and not very happy about it. Unfortunately for them the judge that grants the annulment tells them that they have to live together for 4 weeks before he gives it to them. Now this is where the fun begins. Courtney is fun and sassy and gets to grow up and find out her strengths and Dean is realizing she is better than he thought. Dean has a light to carry and on top of that he is feeling things he did not expect..Grab a copy and Enjoy!

This reminds me of so many romances from the 90s. It was way hotter though. I love the sparks that flew between the couple. I love a heroine that holds her own. I did wonder about so many lapses in the proper behavior of a lady. I enjoyed and I want to read the next one book 3. I recommend this book.

The Cowboy's Honor is the second book in Amy Sandas’ Runaway Brides series. I haven’t read the first, but each book can be read as a standalone.
Courtney Adams is ready to marry the man her parents picked out for her. dressed in her wedding finery she is waiting to make the trip to the church when a messenger inadvertently delivers a message meant for someone else. Her fiancée is in love with another woman. Fleeing Boston, she embarks on a journey to meet her friend who has made a life in Montana.
Dean Lawton doesn’t want or need a wife, no matter what his brother says. Instructed to pick up a “package” from the post office, Dean is horrified when he sees a woman dressed for a wedding. Furious at his brother he decides he will just have to marry her and sort everything out later.
Courtney agrees to accompany the taciturn rancher, thinking he will aid her to find her friend and finds it a little odd when they must meet the judge first. Discovering that she has somehow found herself married to the rancher is not welcome news. Both agree to a speedy annulment when the mix up is discovered, but the judge has other ideas, he will only dissolve the marriage if the remain together for four weeks.
Thrown together in less than ideal circumstances the two embark on a journey of discovery and healing but when the clock runs out will these two headstrong people realise that a case of mistaken identity was a mistake worth making.
This is a slow burn romance featuring two headstrong, intelligent characters. The exchanges between these two are filled with sexual tension and at times funny. I loved Courtney, she is not the spoiled heiress expecting to be waited on, she adapts to her surroundings and has a positive outlook. She isn’t afraid to back down and refuses to hide away when the time comes for her to return to Boston. I wanted to smack some sense into Dean a few times when his stubbornness blinded him to what was right in front of him. Overall this was an enjoyable read that kept me hooked and I would heartily recommend it to fans of mail-order bride romances.
I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.