I liked it, but it was a slow read and a bit far fetched for me. I know I didn't live in that time but being willing to marry a stranger - no thanks.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. This is a good romance. Highly recommend for all romance readers out there.

Despite her past as a saloon girl, helping her brother to cheat at cards, Dorothy is as innocent as they come. Nearly illiterate, she has had none of life’s advantages, until fate intervenes and she ends up in Craig, Colorado. Ronald is as dry as last week’s toast. Yet somehow, they fall in love. He learns to loosen up a little, and she learns what it’s like not to constantly live in fear. Would she have fallen for him had her situation been different? Hard to say. But she does, and it works. As with any romance, the road to true love does not run smooth, but, also as with any romance, they do get to the expected happily-ever-after in the end.

Carolyn Twede Frank writes turn-of-the-20th-Century western romances. I’ll admit, it’s not my favorite genre. But when you’re looking among your ARCs for something light and quick to read, they fit the bill.

Frank’s books are published by Covenant Communications, who also publish Traci Hunter Abramson. To be honest, I found Abramson’s writing to be superior. The editing on her books was far superior as well. I know that this could be a function of the fact that I am reading uncorrected galleys, but some errors in Franks work were so fundamental—misused words, confusing “lie” and “lay”, and a mess with homophones—I really hope these were cleaned up on final.

Characters have a fairly clear line between “good” people and “bad” people. The good ones tend to be very empathetic and helpful, always wanting the best for everyone. The bad ones are low-down sneaky varmints. Side characters are engaging, which is good, because we meet them over and over through the series.

As with anything published by Covenant, these books are squeaky clean, not going past kissing with unmarried people, and some super mild innuendo between the married ones. Cursing is limited to such words as “heck” and “dagnabit.” There are hardships, and people do die, sometimes at the wrong end of a gun, but violence also is mild.

Thank you to Covenant Communications and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2021/12/sweethearts-of-wild-west.html

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. The premise was a good idea with Dorothy escaping her abusive brother. But it was just too slow paced for my liking. Ronald was an interesting character and a good opposite for Dorothy. But there were too many things that just felt unrealistic for the time.

I apologize for my delay in reading this novel, but thank you NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the eARC!

Dorothy hates her life, working as a saloon girl. She decides to leave it all behind and hop on a train. While on board, Dorothy meets a woman who got cold feet; she can't marry the man she agreed to marry. Dorothy takes her place and travels to Colorado.

Ronald thinks Dorothy is perfect; she's kind and ready to be a homemaker and mother!

Cute, simple story; I cheered for Ronald and Dorothy!

**ARC provided by the publisher of Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review**

I don’t normally pick up Western books but the description caught my attention. The first chapters are really great, Dorothy got out from his brother and now she's free, I really liked the characters since they are willing to help Dorothy. Ronald was a very different character but I enjoyed his POVs. Overall I enjoyed it.

What a lovely cover on this historical romance. Dorothy has had a hard life growing up. Orphan from a young age and often abused by her older brother, Dorothy decides to run away. In the train, she meets Wilhemina, who is going to marry a man she met by correspondence. Dorothy assumes her identity and goes to meet Ronald in her stead.
I didn't particulary like Ronald but I found Dorothy interesting. Also, some of the side characters were well fleshed and fun.
The ending was a bit rushed though and the writing style didn't hold my interest through-out unfortunately.

Dorothy escapes from her abusive brother who forces her to work as a saloon girl and help him cheat on card games and while trying to figure out what she will do next is mistaken for a mail order bride. She feels guilty but goes along with it, always knowing as soon as she can save up enough money she will confess to the would be groom that she is not his bride. The groom, Ronald, is very awkward and shy and slowly relaxed around Dorothy over time. Dorothy learns and grows a lot over the course of the book. I liked all the characters in the book, but had a hard time with Ronald. But it was cute how Dorothy accepted him for who he was and loved him, quirks and all.

It’s always a pleasure to read a clean and sweet story that very well-written, and that describes this book. Carolyn Frankie always creates such wonderful characters that pull you into their story. There’s much to love in Dorothy’s story. If you enjoy reading clean historical fiction, give this one a try. Dorothy’s path to finding her happily-ever-after is not always a smooth one, and Ronald isn’t your every day type of hero. This is a very entertaining and interesting book!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher! All opinions are my own.

This book is about a saloon girl Dorothy escapes from her evil brother. She meets a mail order bride who gives a letter to Dorothy and then heads west.

I like westerns, so I enjoyed it but the characters were a bit flat and the conversation was somewhat stilted.

3 stars for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel.

I am not overly familiar with this time period, so it was imteresting to read about mail-order brides. I really liked the community Dorothy settled in, the side characters were interesting and well-developed.

I've really enjoyed Carolyn Twede Frank's western series set in Craig, Colorado, and I was excited to see another installment!

In His Accidental Bride, we meet Dorothy who is desperately trying to escape her con-man brother and his schemes. A sympathetic woman on the train named Wilhemina gives her a way out---deliver a letter to the man she was supposed to marry as a mail-order bride. Dorothy agrees, but once she gets to town, everyone mistakes her for Wilhemina, even Ronald, the man who was expecting his mail-order wife. Dorothy and Ronald hit it off and soon, she can't seem to find the words to tell Ronald who she really is.

Dorothy has a lot of inner turmoil going on and she's constantly trying to figure out a way to get out of the situations she finds herself in. Ronald is the one bright spot in her life and he's definitely not a typical hero. He's quiet, reserved, and doesn't trust easily. He falls in love with Dorothy, but her past soon catches up with her. I did enjoy their slow-paced romance like a little bit of sunshine on a cold day. I thought the author did a great job with the setting and it was fun to revisit characters from previous books. I had a hard time with the ending because right when we were about to get some resolution, the author skips ahead six months and then the reader is just told what happened, which really sucked away the tension and pacing. But I was glad to see Dorothy and Ronald get a happily-ever-after and I'm hoping there will be more books in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free read in exchange for an honest review. This book is a sweet, easy to read romance and I am excited to read more from this new to me author!

I enjoyed the beginning of this book with Dorothy’s escape and a new adventure waiting for her, but the more the book progressed it became a struggle to finish.
I liked Dorothy, her escape and the ingenuity and resourcefulness she had. Her courage to face her past kept me going.
Ronald is an awkward yet endearing lawyer. He is a kind person trying to help anyone in need. Although he is duped by Wilhelmina and Dorothy, he is very understanding to both women.
Overall, I liked the heroine and enjoyed reading the points of view of the different women in the book and their various experiences as women in that time period. The writing was not very consistent, dragging in the middle and an abrupt ending.
This book is a stand-alone sequel and previous characters show up or are mentioned.

Thank you NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

"His Accidental Bride" is a nice book.

I enjoyed the plot - in 19th century America, Dorothy escapes from her abusive brother and the saloon in which she works, and ends up taking someone else's place as a mail order bride who changed her mind. She meets Ronald, a kind man who wants to properly get to know his future bride before marrying her, which is convenient for Dorothy who still hasn't revealed her identity. I felt bad about her hiding her true identity for so long, especially as Ronald was so nice and would be understanding.

I'm not sure why I didn't like to book better. I found it a bit slow and skipped some parts, I didn't find it gripping like other sweet romances from Covenant Communications. It was still a nice read. 3 stars.

I received a copy from Netgalley. All opinons expressed are my own

The central characters in this novel are Dorothy & Ronald. The book alternates perspectives between both. This is a clean romance.

Dorothy has led a difficult life. Her parent's died when she was a preteen, leaving her an orphan. Her brother becomes her guardian and forces Dorothy to work in saloons and help him cheat at poker. After 5 years, Dorothy finally refuses to assist her brother and flees.

When Dorothy meets Wilhelmina, a mail-order bride on her way west to meet her fiance Ronald. Wilhelmina has changed her minds, and offers Dorothy to use her train ticket and deliver a dear john letter. Dorothy is amazed at the offer, and sets out west to deliver the letter.

When Dorothy meets Ronald, she finds herself reluctant to deliver the letter. And the more she gets to know Ronald, and his gentle ways, the more she finds herself enamored by him.

I really like the premise of the story. It just was a bit bland for my tastes and very predictable. For this reason I will only give 3 stars to this novel.

A sweet historical romance set primarily in Craig, Colorado! This is a mail order bride book like no other I have read.

Dorothy Bednar has been assisting her brother in his illegal swindling since she was 15 but she hasn't done it willingly and seizes a chance to escape the dishonesty and abuse she suffers with him by running away and hopping a train. She meets Wilhelmena Cooper on the train and Ms. Cooper befriends her after recognizing her distress. When Ms. Cooper gets cold feet and decides not to continue on her journey to Colorado to become a mail order bride she gives a letter to Dorothy to give her intended and her ticket to Craig and heads back home. Dorothy decides to continue the journey to get farther from her brother and deliver the letter.

Upon arriving in Craig, Dorothy finds it difficult to track down Ms. Cooper's intended Ronald Smith and before she knows it the whole town thinks she is his mail order bride. Ronald turns out to be an awkward attorney who finds himself incredibly drawn to Dorothy who seems different than she did in her letters. Thus Dorothy finds herself in a deception of another kind.

I appreciated the growth both Ronald and Dorothy experienced through the book. They learned from each other and came to appreciate and utilize in themselves qualities they appreciated in the other. At one point, the story skipped 6 months of time and I felt a little disappointed to just be told about much of the growth in one of the characters rather than experience it through the course of the book. The story could have used more development in parts but overall it was a sweet love story.

I received an ebook of this book from the publisher and netgalley. This is an honest review and all thoughts are my own.

I always enjoy reading many different genres and it has been a little bit since I'd read one set in the early west. This was delightful. Great characters, a fun location (which I want to return to), an intriguing storyline, a sweet love story, friendships, family struggles, characters learning to grow and change, and a little touch of suspense.

Dorothy's past is hard. And she's trying to be a good person but some of the choices she's having to make aren't easy because they go against everything she believes. But she doesn't see a way out, until one night. I loved watching her make that quick decision and just running. I loved the people she met along the way. And I really loved how she didn't set out to deceive but was pulled unexpectedly into a plot already in the works. Talk about the perfect set of circumstances and timing and assumptions to make this delightful story. And even when her reveal happens I loved the people in Craig, Colorado and their reactions.

If you're looking for a sweet love story as well, this one definitely was that. Dorothy and Ronald are very sweet and darling together. They made me smile and giggle over their different personalities and the fun friendship that was built.

Content: Clean. Some moments of mild peril, talk about gambling and drinking and saloon girls (not brothel girls). Nothing more than a few sweet kisses.

I received a copy from the publisher, Covenant Communications, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

Rating 3.5

I thought this book was really cute. Who wouldn't love a story about a broken girl finally getting her happy ending with a good guy?! I liked the two main characters and thought her brother was a good villain. However, it seemed a little insta-love for me and I found the 'problem' of the story to not be that real of a problem. I kept wanting the main character to just tell the truth so the story would progress quicker. The author did a great job of describing the setting and time the story took place. Overall, this book was enjoyable and will take you on a nice getaway to a different time.

**Received an advanced copy through NetGalley in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

I thought this book was just ok- Not bad, but not amazing. It was a cute story I just felt like the characters were somewhat juvenile in their speech and actions. Maybe a younger audience would have liked it more?? All that aside it was fun to read, but maybe one I wouldn’t gush about to my sisters.