HIS ACCIDENTAL BRIDE
BY CAROLYN TWEDE FRANK

Dorothy worked in a saloon helping albeit as an unwilling participant to aid her older brother Vincent cheat while she delivers drinks to the tables she aids Vincent by helping him win card games. Her mother died giving birth and so she is stuck with living with her older brother. During one of these card games as Dorothy is delivering drinks she goes up to the man tending bar named Walter and asks to use the privy. She headed for the back door, grabbing her coat and handbag from the hooks in the storeroom. She runs to the train station and has very little money, less than a dollar. Dorothy bolted into the train not bothering to buy a ticket among the crowd boarding it. While riding on a train from Missouri she meets a kind woman named Wilhelmina Cooper who tells the conductor that Dorothy is sharing her sleeping compartment with her sister to fool the sheriff who just gave Dorothy's description. Wilhelmina can see that Dorothy is bruised below her eye and on her arm and asks Dorothy to describe what happened to her. She offers her one of the bunks to sleep on and gives her a pink nightgown to sleep in. The next morning Wilhelmina has ordered breakfast and tea for the two of them and says she has a business proposition for her.

Wilhelmina tells Dorothy that she had placed an advertisement in a magazine to be a mail order bride and that she had been corresponding with a lawyer in Colorado with a man named Ronald who she was travelling from Chicago to meet. She said on the way she got cold feet and thinks delivering the news by telegraph is too impersonal and if Dorothy delivers the news to him in person she can keep three fine outfits. Dorothy arrives as the mail order bride and the two of them are happy with each other. Dorothy is not yet 21 years old and she is striking in appearance and Ronald Smith is a gentleman that Dorothy is quite happy with because she is not used to being treated so much like a fine lady. They court and she has mixed feelings about all of the deception but has little money so she approaches the woman who owns the saloon in Craig, Colorado and asks if she needs help in the restaurant and Dorothy becomes a waitress while she already feels bad that Ronald Smith is paying all of her expenses in the room she is staying which is rather nice.

To say anymore would spoil the story which gets bogged down with all of the details during their two month courtship. I thought that this was a lovely story and there are still quite a few surprises left. I just feel like this moved along at a slow pace and would have been better if there was not so long a novel to get to the climax of this narrative. I did find it entertaining and enjoyed this novel very much. A lot more happens but you will have to read it to find out. I do recommend this wholesome story that is pleasant reading. This was a pleasure to read and the genre is suitable for fans of historical fiction with romance.

Publication Date: January 4, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, Carolyn Twede Frank and Covenant Communications for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#HisAccidentalBride #CarolynTwedeFrank #CovenantCommunications #NetGalley

"His Accidental Bride" by Carolyn Twede Frank is a sweet mail-order bride romance featuring two completely incompatible people. Ronald Smith, socially awkward lawyer, sets out to woo Dorothy Bednar, saloon girl, believing she is his betrothed, Winifred Cooper.

Bednar is between a rock and a hard place, as her immoral and dishonest brother is her guardian and he pulls the strings. Sadly, women had few options then. While her backstory is tragic, she lets the mistaken identity misunderstanding go on too long. On the other hand, not-a-knight in shining armor Ronald Smith is sweet and honest, albeit boring and socially inept. His behavior is cringe worthy at times, and I can personally relate as I'm no gregarious social butterfly, either. Regrettably, Smith's backstory is completely absent.

This is a delightful, well-written novel. It is clean and thankfully lacks insta-love, a plot trope I excessively dislike. While I deducted one star for lack of character development, I plan to read more of Frank's works.

Thanks to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for an ARC of this novel.

Enjoyable historical romance set in the old west. A case of cold feet and a runaway start the ball rolling on this storyline of two opposites that face a twisting road to try for a happy ending. There were enough questions that kept you guessing to see how and who would end up together that kept me reading late into the night to finish. Descriptions well done, felt as though I was really in the scenes as they played out.

This story pulled me in with its twists and surprises.  I enjoyed references to characters from Frank's other books, but was pleased that this book stood alone.  The characters' dilemmas and growth were compelling and their happy ending was well deserved.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a nice read. I was only able to get about halfway through before I had to stop though. I liked the story line but the story just dragged a little to much for me.

This story had a lot of tropes (not a bad thing) and some unique twists (quite a good thing). Dorothy needs out from her untenable situation as an accomplice to her underhanded brother, so she boards the first available train and switches places with a mail-order bride (trope--but one I usually like). When she arrives, she meets the man who sent for a mail order bride only to find that he is a mild-mannered, Type A, everything-ordered-and-in-its-place, pasteboard lawyer (a unique twist!). He thinks his new bride will be the same, since the letters he received indicated she had the same mannerisms. Instead he finds Dorothy to be bright, energetic, and fun. The rest of the story includes a long courtship (not marriage immediately), slow discoveries, and some typical misunderstandings.

Overall, I didn't *love* this one. It felt too slow and often too predictable. I would have much rather had the whole marriage of convenience trope (one I typically enjoy). But I did find that I came to care a little for the lawyer by the end. This was an easy read, satisfying if one likes Hallmark westerns, and mildly entertaining.

Rated G
--clean romance
--no language
--little violence

I received this ebook free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

His Accidental Bride is an enjoyable read. A clean, easy western romance. When I started reading and realized the story was about a character (Ronald)from other book, I was curious how it would play out. He was not the most interesting of fellows. But Dorothy made up for it!! I loved the storyline of her trials and her encounter on the train. Her time in Craig, Colorado was entertaining and sweet. She and Ronald were good for each other! There were a couple of slow parts, but overall it is a fun read. It is also nice to have a few characters from other books pop up. But the book itself is a standalone story.
Thank you to Covenant Communications and Net Galley for the opportunity to share my honest review.

This sweet story hooked me from the beginning with Dorothy Bednar's tragic backstory. She wasn't just a poor me woman though, she was a strong woman with a determination to become better than her circumstances. On her path to find her better life, she falls in love. Ronald Smith has gone looking for love and he thinks he has found it in the mail order bride he orders but someone better is around the corner. This story had me enthralled for the first half. I was eager to see how the hidden past would come up and the truth would surface. Once it hit the middle, it slowed down a little but the finale made up for it.

This romance was a little deeper as the characters have some real struggles to get through. The fluff of a light-hearted romance is still there with some meat underneath. His Accidental Bride was great story for a little deeper read.

This was a very enjoyable and fun read for me.
Loved the characters. The plot held my interest to the very end...
This book will not disappoint.

A mail-order-bride, deception and escape from an abusive life. Wouldn't you think this is an excellent plot for a story. In reality, at least for me, this is not the case. I didn't finish the book, unfortunately. However, thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#HisAccidentalBride #NetGalley

Dorothy's life has been hard due to the death of her parents and her brother Vincent's guardianship of her. Her brother Vincent is hard and mean. When Dorothy sees a chance to get a way from her brother, she takes it. A chance encounter, on a train heading to Colorado, finds Dorothy playing the part of a mail order bride. Dorothy wants to be free of her brother's lies, but she has no way to take care of herself. Is she willing to take a chance and risk someone finding out about who she really is?

HIS ACCIDENTAL BRIDE by CAROLYN TWEDE FRANK is a delightful historical romance with quite a bit of suspense, some great characters and the odd villain added to the mix.
Dorothy Bednar has become a saloon girl, forced to help her brother cheat at poker, because she has nowhere else to go, and he has been her legal guardian since she was eleven. He treats her very badly and she runs away.
Ronald Smith is lonely and communicates with Wilhelmina Cooper requesting that she come to Craig Colorado to be his mail order bride. Dorothy really wants to tell him the truth when she arrives in Craig instead of Miss Cooper - and that is all I am going to tell you!
It is an exciting story, full of intrigue and sweet romance.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from covenant Communications, The opinions in this review are completely my own.

While the story had promise, there really wasn’t enough of a story for a full novel. This was a short story at best. What the author added to make it a full novel was mostly filler and boring stuff. There was no real character development until the very end and only for Dorothy. Ron never got an iota of development and there was no explanation for his supposedly plain appearance and stickler attitude. His brother was rude and unkind and served no purpose. The idea of a safari came completely out of left field and did not fit the character we were given. I finished it but I’m left rather confused and unsatisfied by the whole book.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The description and pretty cover made me excited to read His Accidental Bride. The story begins well with Dorothy Bednar, saloon girl, escaping into the night on a train. She leaves behind an abusive brother who uses her in his card cheating schemes. She meets a kind woman who asks her to take a letter to the man who is expecting her as a mail-order bride in Craig, WY. Of course once there she meets quirky Ronald who assumes she is his future wife. Sadly the book slows down and becomes almost tedious to read. It is a cookie-cutter plot with a secondary over the top villain. I don't want to list all the ways the plot and romance didn't work for me because of spoilers, but there were several. It is an okay story and others may enjoy the style and plot more. This is a clean romance and is listed as Christian. I think it is more a case of a christian publisher because there is only a prayer over a meal and one paragraph where the heroine mentions a belief in God. I would not consider it inspirational or faith promoting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

His Accidental Bride by Carolyn Twede Frank was a sweet historical romance book that I am glad that I took the chance on! Dorothy Bednar is living a life that she despises. She is forced to work as a double-dealing saloon girl, but she has had enough. She hops on a train and meets a kind woman who was traveling to Colorado to be a mail order bride. However when the woman gets cold feet, Dorothy finds herself posting as the mail-order bride, anything was better than the life she left behind. Young Coloradoan Ronald Smith is smitten when he spies the lovely woman who is to be his wife. Dorothy is beyond his wildest dreams, a kindhearted partner eager to be homemaker and mother. Ronald is everything Dorothy could have wanted, a man who makes her feel safe and cherished. Although their relationship stars in deception, it soon deepens into true love. But Dorothy's secret past comes up to haunt her and threaten the beautiful life she’s built.
I felt so bad for Dorothy, she was forced into a life that she didn’t choose. However I thought that she was so strong. She tried so hard to start a life for herself, something that was better than the life she had previously lived. She was smart and kind, it was fun to see her interact with Ronald. Ronald treated her like a lady. She thought that he was such a sweet guy. But Dorothy had to learn to stand up to her brother and fight for the future she wanted. Will she get the courage to tell Ronald the truth about her past or will she lose everything?
Ronald was such a sweet guy. He was kind of awkward, but he was really kind. I really liked him and I loved reading about him with Dorothy. He was such a nice guy and he really wanted to get Dorothy to like him. He started to fall for Dorothy from the beginning, but he also wanted to protect his heart. I wanted him to accept Dorothy immediately but everything ended up working out. I also loved his relationships with the townspeople, especially Logan.
Dorothy and Ronald were a cute couple, I really wanted them to find their happy ending. I adored Logan, the boy Ronald basically took in. Logan was such a fun character and he really liked both Dorothy and Ronald. I was interested in this book and I really enjoyed it! I think the pace was great and I had to keep on reading to see how Dorothy and Ronald were going to end up together. I thought that the ending was a bit more abrupt, but otherwise I really liked it.
His Accidental Bride was a great book. I loved the characters!I would definitely recommend it! It is a clean sweet historical romance.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

His Accidental Bride is an enjoyable read. Dorothy tries to escape from her abusive brother, and meets Wilhemena, who then gives her a ticket to a Colorado town she was heading to as a mail order bride. She just changed her mind. Dorothy goes because she has no other place to go. She then meets Ronald, Wilhemena's betrothed, and a deceitful friendship begins. Dorothy is not happy with her deception, but she just doesn't know how to handle this situation. She does eventually come clean, and Ronald still accepts her. Then her brother shows up and stirs up trouble for her. Great story, clean, with a great ending!

This book was very much what I expected from a mail-order bride situation, even though that's not what Dorothy intended originally! His Accidental Bride was an easy read with a happily ever after, so if that's what you're looking for then this is perfect. I was a little disappointed with the cookie-cutter story, but that definitely made it easier to read quickly!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

His Accidental Bride by Carolyn Twede Frank, 264 pages. Covenant Communication, 2021. $17.
Language: G; Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Jumping onto a train at the last minute seems like a good idea in the moment Dorothy runs away from her no-good older brother, but now she has nothing -- not even a plan. As luck would have it, Dorothy meets a mail-order bride with cold feet who aids Dorothy in getting far away by giving Dorothy her ticket to the small town of Craig. There Dorothy hopes to start a new life in the little town, but old habits die hard and the lies pile up as she hides her past from her new friends and the man courting her.
With the funny storyline of filling in as a mail-order bride, I expected a cute, funny read. The story of Dorothy is humorous as she falls in love with a man who is her complete opposite in most ways, but the main points of conflict to overcome were handled more seriously than I had anticipated. Franks takes twists and turns I didn’t see coming, which made the story much less cheesy than I had imagined, and was still enjoyable through to the happy ending.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

This started out so good. The excitement of her running away from her brother was great. Dorothy is a sweet but all over girl who has been controlled by her brother to long. She makes her escape and falls into a marriage of convenience plot that goes nowhere fast. They don't get married right away and that always kills these kinds of books for me. The awkwardness of the leading man did me in and I just couldn't finish this one. Completely lost interest. The writing is good, not juvenile and silly, I just got board.

Dorothy Bednar hates her life. Although she has a strong moral compass telling her that lying is wrong, her evil brother forces her (through physical and verbal intimidation) to help him out with his gambling swindles in saloons. When an opportunity to escape arises, Dorothy makes a dash for it. She boards a train and meets a woman headed west to meet her fiance (the woman had placed an ad seeking a husband in a magazine). The woman gets cold feet and asks Dorothy to deliver a letter to a small town in Colorado letting her intended know about her change of heart.

When Dorothy arrives in Colorado, she doesn't want to start lying again, but she also doesn't want to hurt Ronald Smith's feelings. So she lies a little, just to spare him. Ronald wants to court her for two months, unlike other men who want to marry within minutes of meeting their bride.

Dorothy goes along with the plan and discovers Ron is the sweetest, most gentlemanly man she's ever known. They start to have feelings for each other.

Why I Struggled with This Book

Although the book had a great premise, the hero's character development felt flat. The villains made the story seem more like a melodrama than a historical romance. Dorothy does experience character growth as she overcomes her past, but some of her decisions seem out of character.

Although billed as an 'inspirational romance,' it felt more like just a plain old clean romance. Three-fourths of the way through the book Dorothy suddenly discloses that she has a strong faith in God--something there had been no evidence of prior to this scene. There were ample opportunities to introduce faith earlier in the book (the couple could have blessed their food at their first picnic, Dorothy could have prayed for help as she escaped her brother, etc.). Ron's only interaction with anything inspirational was going to visit a pastor to see if he could use the church for his wedding.

If the reader is seeking an inspirational romance, other books fit the genre much better. If the reader wants a clean historical romance, the book fits the bill a little better. The writing style didn't spark my interest, and I had a difficult time finishing the book. It might appeal to other readers, though.