I really enjoyed this sweet and unique story. The characters felt real and had great chemistry. I look forward to reading more from this wonderful author.

This novel fell flat for me. I liked the set up for the story. There was excitement in Dorothy’s escape from her abusive and controlling brother and there was some tension in the fact that Dorothy allowed herself to be caught up in lies to the man who believed her to be his mail order bride.

It was hard for me to see Dorothy allow lie upon lie to continue to build, however, I did understand her fear and hope for a fresh start. I just couldn’t really connect with these two characters. Although I felt for Ronald wanting to marry and start a family, he was just such a bland and awkward character. I know this was intentional and important to who he was in the story, but it really put me off from caring about him. I didn’t connect with Dorothy either, so I was unable to care about their storyline in general.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I truly struggled with this novel. I did not enjoy the writing, and the plot wasn't nearly as interesting as the synopsis made it sound.

This was just ok for me. I thought it was a fairly entertaining story, but the dialog did not seem believable and was awkward. I also didn't buy the romance between the two main characters. Overall it just didn't work for me.

A fun read, Carolyn Twede Frank creates unusual but believable characters. The storyline couples Ronald, a stodgy, OCD lawyer, and Dorothy, a young girl on the run from her abusive brother who steps into the shoes of Ronald's mail-order bride when she gets cold feet. Hungry and frightened her brother will find her, Dorothy lets Ronald believe she is his mail-order bride.

Perhaps because Ronald is inept at romance, I enjoyed him more that I expected. Dorothy, in contrast, is a survivalist who lives by the seat of her pants. Despite her past, she sees the best in people. Their personal growth from getting to know each other drives the story forward. Overall I enjoyed reading the book and I liked its characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

A very well written historical romance. Good plot and character dynamics. I highly recommend this book. I received an arc from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

I truly enjoyed this book! What a fantastic story! I was ready for it to go a certain way and Ms. Frank totally took it a surprising way and I appreciated the turn of events! I found the characters endearing and loved the way they interacted with each other and those in the small town. I was grateful for the sweet romantic moments that were crafted so beautifully! This was a fun story!

I received this book from #netgalley in return of an honest review!

3.5 stars rounded up

Dorothy Bednar may be young, not quite 21 years old, but she's lived through a lot of heartache and hard times in the past 10 years. Her mother died when she was 10, followed shortly by her father, and although her older brother Vincent takes her in, saving her from living on the street, it's hard living a life deceiving and cheating others. Dorothy doesn't think she has much of a choice since her brother is her legal guardian who abuses her when she doesn't bend to his wishes.

Having had enough working in saloons and helping Vincent cheat at cards for the past 5 years, Dorothy makes a run for it and hops on a train with just the saloon dress on her back. She barges into the compartment of Wilhelmina Cooper who's going to Craig, CO to marry a Ronald Smith she's been corresponding with. Wilhelmina gets cold feet before reaching Colorado, and gives Dorothy a letter for Ronald explaining she's changed her mind. Instead of giving Ronald the letter, Dorothy lets him assume she's Wilhelmina and he proceeds to court her with the intend to marry after 2 months. Of course Dorothy's secret comes out but by then she and Ronald have developed feelings for each other. With less than 2 weeks until their wedding, Vincent finds Dorothy thanks to another gambler who really dislikes Ronald.

This story started out very interesting--Dorothy escapes, meets Wilhelmina and arrives in Craig. I enjoyed the townspeople in Craig, especially Logan and Sunny (who runs the restaurant/saloon), but I found the part where Ronald leaves to go to Chicago to find the real Wilhelmina Cooper uninteresting. The idea that he might move back to Chicago and marry Wilhelmina just to be married was kind of unbelievable considering that he mentions how dull she is several times. The story then gets interesting again right before Ronald and Dorothy's wedding is supposed to take place. I did feel the last chapter could've been longer, it was kind of rushed. One minute Dorothy's in Denver and the next she's surprising Ronald back in Craig and bam! they're married.

I liked how much Ronald enjoyed being a lawyer and helping people even if some of them could only pay him with eggs, and produce. I liked that his character was less rigid at the end of the book, he was a little more flexible than when we first met him. I liked the character of Logan and his wonderful outlook on life, although his life was far from easy. I really liked Sunny, that Dorothy opened up to her about everything, and that Sunny had wonderful advice for her. I did like the theme of forgiveness and starting over that was in the story.

This was my first book by this author, and I'd read another one of her books. I love the cover of this one.

I received a complimentary copy from Covenant via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

First off, Dorothy's brother is the absolute worst. He uses her to cheat others and doesn't care what it is doing to her. I hate abusive scum like him in fiction and in real life. That being said, for my venom to be incited over a character means that the author has me hooked.

Dorothy, on the other hand, I love. She is looking for freedom and gets herself on the train while her brother is tied up with the law. She runs into a mail order bride with cold feet, money, and a willingness to help. Because of this she is able to escape with a mission, deliver a note explaining that the mail order bride is not coming to the local lawyer, easy, then she can move on. to parts unknown and escape her brother. Then she meets the groom - Ronald Smith.

Ronald treats her better than she has ever been treated and has the intention to court his mail order bride in order to give her the chance to make her choice. Dorothy is faced with little opportunity to tell the truth and has a bit of desperation in that she doesn't have the means to move on. What ensues is a lovely story of people that have been hurt that get to know each other and in spite of a few mistruths, what they find in each other is honest and real.

I loved this book from beginning to end and Carolyn Twede Frank is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. The characters were complex and real.

I received an early copy of this book and this is my honest review.

Lovely!

This is a clean, slow, lovely historical romance featuring Dorothy who, on the run from her exploiting gambling brother finds herself a place and a love story along side Ronald, the lawyer of a little town called Craig.

While this is not the kind of romance I go for, this book had a lot of great points. The heroine and hero are both so likeable, as well as almost all the supporting characters. There is this nice sense of camaraderie between the townspeople, and both the hero and heroine have their own supporters, both charming. The narrative is well balanced and the book is pretty engaging.

I loved how the heroine beat all the odds against her, how she succeeded in gain her freedom. Then there was Ronald, supportive and charming in his own kind way.

This was not a memorable read for me but it sure was a pleasant one. I think lovers of clean, slow paced romances set in the end of the 19th century would like this greatly.

I've read a few books with a similar trope, the wrong mail order bride showing up. I always wonder why they don't confess in the beginning. I understand not being the woman he sent away for, but he sent away for someone who was practically a stranger, so why not her. However, with Ronald being so by the book I'm sure he would have sent Dorothy packing if he knew in the beginning. This was an interesting story with a few surprises, but not really. At times it was really easy to see what was coming. I enjoyed the story, but wasn't satisfied with the ending. I felt it wrapped up too quicky and nicely. I wanted to know more about those six months, especially regarding Ronald. However, I did love the people in Craig and wouldn't mind reading stories about other town members.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Netgalley, but this is my honest review.

His Providential Accident!

While the plot isn't new, the would be bride as a saloon girl is a bit off the beaten path, & her dilemma immediately drew me in to the book.

I liked the story. Logan & Sunny were wonderful side characters who nearly stole the show (though now that I think of it, perhaps that's why the story was a little drawn out at times - not quite as focused & the secondaries' stories caused it to meander a bit). The dialogue used to distinguish the higher class characters from the lower class was frequently overly stilted & unnatural. It would have worked for Dorothy who was trying to fake it, but sounded odd in the others.

However, Dorothy is a highly sympathetic character. Ronald is, too, though his character is a little wooden. But I loved that Ronald helped Dorothy figure out how to take charge of her life & that Dorothy helped Ron figure out how to stop worrying so much over little things & take time to find joy in life. It's a message that particularly resonates right now!

*Romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic

I enjoyed the premise of this book. And there are a lot of elements in the book that make it unique from other books I've read. I read a number of other reviews for this book and found that some of the things people complained about were things that I thought made the book more fun.

The hero is stodgy, fastidious, not good looking, overly orderly and inept at romance. He is so not your typical hero. That is why I enjoyed him. I think his answering a mail order bride ad and then choosing to court her for two months before marrying is exactly what Ronald's personality would demand of him. He doesn't do anything without methodical, measured steps. Ronald's time with Dorothy is going to, over time, teach him to let loose a little.

Dorothy is the opposite of Ronald. She makes decisions by the seat of her pants without thinking through anything. Her ability to think on the fly is part survival for her with her abusive brother. What a horrible person he is. She made a lot of mistakes initially with Ronald but she was in an awkward situation nothing like she'd ever experienced before and she is still in survival mode. While I wish she'd given him the letter, her decision not to allows Ronald to go meet the female version of himself and figure out that is really not what he wants in life. And Ronald's influence on Dorothy teaches her to slow down and think things through to get a better long term outcome. They move each other closer to a middle ground instead of the extremes.

That being said, I think the book was probably too long as the middle section started to drag. At one point I thought we'd reached the happily ever after only to discover there was still a large portion of book left where something big was going to have to happen to fill the pages. I think it could have been cut down to let that first hea moment occur after the big event. Or at least have the big event happen a little earlier. It would have left more natural to me.

Overall I enjoyed reading the book and I liked its characters.

Sex: leering obnoxious drunk men in saloon scenes
Language: no
Violence: abuse by brother
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book through NetGalley and voluntarily chose to review it.

All wonderful mail-order bride story of true love. Set in the Wild West, a sweet story that delivers strong character development, plot twists and turns, and a satisfying conclusion. Dorothy has had enough of her current situation and sets out to find a better life. She gets more than she bargained for out of Ronald, a regular, strait-laced and socially awkward, man. I love that he his true to himself and represents a regular hero. I also love the backdrop setting in Colorado. A slower read, but this just provides the opportunity to relish the characters, story and setting. A clean read that I happily recommend.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

Set in the Old West, His Accidental Bride tells the story of Dorothy Bednar, a woman forced into a life of crime by her brother. When an opportunity presents itself for her to escape her brother’s clutches, she seizes it & boards a train leaving town. On that train, she meets Wilhelmina Cooper, a mail-order bride who is having seconds thoughts about her upcoming nuptials. After hearing Dorothy’s tale, Wilhelmina proposes a solution to both of their problems: Dorothy can take her train & stagecoach tickets to Craig, Colorado, the town where her would-be husband, Ronald Smith, lives. In exchange, she only asks that Dorothy hand deliver a letter to Ronald explaining that she was unable to go through with the wedding. The seemingly perfect plan, however, hits a snag when Dorothy arrives in Craig & is assumed by everyone to be Wilhelmina. She has every intention of correcting their misassumption & delivering Wilhelmina’s letter — that is, until she meets Ronald & finds herself instantly drawn to him.

This book was precisely what I needed when I read it: an entertaining, easy-to-read book. Prior to reading His Accidental Bride, I was in a bit of a reading slump, having just finished a tedious book. I was not overly eager to start another book, but the synopsis of His Accidental Bride sounded interesting, so I gave it a shot. And boy, am I glad I did. This books was precisely what I needed to snap myself out of my reading funk. It was a quick, escapist read filled with romance and just enough uncertainty to keep me turning the pages.

3.5/5 stars

I started reading this book before bed on night and stayed up most the night reading it. I really liked Dorothy. She had a rough life but she held on to what her parents had taught her up until age 11. Ronald is a unique character. I liked that Dorothy could look past his rigidness and love his kindness and noble character. The end part of the book was surprising to me. It wasn’t my favorite but I understood it.

His Accidental Bride was written by Carolyn Twede Frank.

Summary: Dorothy Bednar has had enough of her evil brother’s dealings, and when his latest scheme goes awry, she decides to make a run for it. The problem is-she has nothing but the red dress on her back and a few coins in her purse. How will she make it on her own?

In a twist of fate, she meets a young woman who is on her way out west as a mail-order bride. When she decides she can’t go through with it, she asks Dorothy to deliver a message to her intended in exchange for some clothes and a train ticket. Dorothy gladly accepts. After all, what could be worse than her past life?

But when she arrives, she discovers there really is kindness in the world and finds herself drawn to the would-be groom. Could Dorothy take the place of the bride and find happiness after all? Or will her past catch-up to her sooner than she thinks?

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this book very much. The plot is unique with some fun twists and turns, the characters are well-developed, and there is a nice romance. I would definitely recommend it-especially if you enjoy stories set in the Wild West, or those with a fun and light-hearted romance.

I would like to thank Covenant Communications for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved getting to know more about the people of Craig, Colorado. I loved how in this book Ronald Smith, the sweet but socially awkward lawyer, finally gets his perfect match. I loved that this was a mail-order bride story. I really loved how Ronald helped Dorothy to learn how to plan things so she could escape her horrible situation she was in and I loved how Dorothy helped Ronald to be more spontaneous. I loved how they were a perfect match even though they were so different. I thought this was a great western romance and I would love there to be more books about the people of Craig.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

This book had such promise. I really liked the beginning to the middle, but then it went downhill at the end.
In this book, we have Dorothy, an orphan living with her brother that takes advantage of her by manipulating her into helping him con people. When Dorothy finally escapes him, she finds herself in a web of lies to try and have a better life, but she also wants to be a better person, and here is the part I found very interesting. The author did not make her lies the plot twist as is usually seen in many books. Her being truthful was actually what won the male protagonist, Ronald. While reading, I noticed that she had an amazing character development through the book, becoming a better version of herself. I just wished she had decided things differently at the end of the book.
The hero, Ronald, was a very analytical character and that organized person that everyone teases, and I like that about him. The fact that the author changed his personality in the last chapter was something I could not get past since I liked him just the way he was. Not to say he did not have flaws because he did and I also did not like his actions at the end and how quickly he gave up on the search. He was a nice guy, that helped people not interested in the money they could give him, but because that was who he is.
Overall, It was an ok book, that, for me, could have had a different approach with the same ending. The execution failed me in this case.

Nice romance with an areanted marriage in western setting
Heroine is escaping from an abusive brother and ends up married as a mail order bride
Ronald Smith is a nice and decent hero I liked him
Nice and safe a little too slow for my taste
His Accidental Bride by Carolyn Twede Frank. #HisAccidentalBride #NetGalley
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