A Bride in Store Book Review
About the Book
Impatient to meet her intended groom and help him grow his general store, mail-order bride Eliza Cantrell sets out on her travels a week early. But her plan goes sadly awry when her train is held up by robbers who steal her dowry, and Axel, her groom-to-be, isn’t even in town when she finally arrives.
Axel’s business partner, William Stanton, has no head for business and would much rather be a doctor. When his friend’s mail-order bride arrives in town with no money and no groom in sight, he feels responsible and lets her help around the store–where she quickly proves she’s much more adept at business than he ever will be.
The sparks that fly between Will and Eliza as they work together in close quarters are hard to ignore, but Eliza is meant for Axel and a future with the store, while Will is biding his time until he can afford medical school. When Axel finally returns, their troubles are far from over, and soon Will and Eliza must decide what they’re willing to sacrifice to chase their dreams–or if God has a new dream in store for them both.
My Thoughts
So I might be falling in love with this town and all its charming characters! I’m sure I’m not alone. 🙂 This author has a distinct gift to create characters with such deep personalities and emotions, showing their strengths and weaknesses in ways that are relatable to everyday life. She also boldly shares the love of God through her stories, and that is something I haven’t seen in a LONG time. It’s not subtle like what I see from other authors; you’ll KNOW when you reach those moments in the story. Some may find it preachy, but it blends perfectly within the scene that it’s been designed for.
Comparing the heroine of this story to the one in the first book (A Bride for Keeps), these two ladies are as different as night and day. Julia from book one hesitates to reveal her true self, while Eliza in this book has a strong backbone and knows exactly what she wants to accomplish in life. Eliza’s plans take an unintended turn when she is robbed of all her money right before she is supposed to arrive in Salt Flats to meet her soon-to-be husband. The only problem is that he’s not there to meet her, but his business partner is and they become acquainted the instant she comes into town. Their connection with each other is reserved at first since Eliza is planning to marry someone else, but there’s no doubt that they have an undeniable connection with one another.
I simply love that this entire series focuses on mail order brides and their marriages of convenience, but I promise not to say anything more to spoil your enjoyment of them! This author is starting to inch her way onto my favorites list, and I’m eager to read the final book in this series (oh, and the prequel, too)!
4 Stars
**This book is currently available on Scribd in audio format. Use my referral link to get your first 60 days free to read this and thousands of other Christian fiction titles!
**I have a couple of jewelry designs in mind for this book – so happy! 🙂
