Mail-Order Baroness by Misty M. Beller

 

Do you order things through the mail or prefer shopping in person?  I love getting things in the mail, but it’s still fun to shop in person and browse through items (especially books).

Rose is a singer in Virginia City stuck in a twenty-year contract she signed with her stepfather when she was fifteen.  She dreams of the happy days she spent in her childhood with her mother on the Balfour ranch.  When an ad appears advertising for an assistant housekeeper at a ranch, Rose takes it upon herself to make her escape to try out the new job.  She soon discovers the job is at the Balfour ranch, and she is reunited with her childhood friend James, the middle Balfour brother.  James has never forgotten Rose and is happy to have her back.  Will these two find love?  Will her stepfather find her?  Why did her mother leave the ranch suddenly when she a child?

My thoughts on the novel:

·       I enjoyed the mystery in this book. Why did Rose and her mother leave the ranch?  I also enjoyed the suspense of her escape.

·       I enjoyed the romance and relationship between James and Rose.

·       I also enjoyed the continuing story from book one of Enoch and Mandie’s story.

·       The plot line was similar to the first book but was still enjoyable.

·       I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

·       I love the beautiful Montana setting.

·       It was unique having the British aristocracy living in Montana.  Enoch will need to return to England soon leaving James in charge of the ranch which is added stress.

·       There were moments of tension and danger toward the end of book which added excitement.

·       This is a second chance romance novel which is one of my favorite tropes.

·       This was a Christian book and a clean read.

·       This was a quick read and good escapism reading. 

·       This is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone.  I did enjoy reading both books in the series. 

·       I love how understanding and empathetic James is.

Overall, Mail-Order Baroness by Misty M. Beller is a wonderful historical western romance with great characters and a suspenseful storyline.  It’s a great story to get lost in.

Book Source:  Thank-you to author Misty M. Beller for a review copy of this novel.

 

Mail-Order Duchess by Misty M. Beller

 

What is your weirdest reading habit? When I was younger, I used to like to sit in trees and read.  I haven’t done that since my teen years, but I still remember it fondly.  Now I sit under trees when I can.  I love reading outdoors. 

Widow Mandie Beaumont needs to leave her hometown of Savannah to escape her evil brother-in-law who has raped her and is trying to force her into marriage.  She answers an advertisement seeking a bride in Montana and she moves out west.  When she arrives, she discovers that her prospective groom, has passed away.  His brother, Enoch, will become the next Duke of Clarence.  He finds himself drawn to Mandie.  Will these two be able to move beyond past hurt to find new love?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved the Enoch was so accepting of the fact that Mandie was pregnant and sympathized with her when she explained that she had been raped.  He said the baby was innocent and that he would accept it as his own.  What a good guy and how romantic.

·       This was a very romantic book and a quick read.

·       The tropes in this novel included mail order bride, amnesia, and marriage of convenience.

·       It is set in the Rocky Mountains which were both beautiful and rugged.

·       The Balfour family is living in Montana even though they are English aristocracy to protect the family from nefarious people back in England who want to destroy them.

·       Mandie hits her head before her arrival and has amnesia at first.

·       Enoch lost his previous love and is afraid to move on.

·       It is a sweet story and very readable.

·       I am currently reading the second book in the series, and I am loving it.

·       Trigger alert that rape is discussed, but the act is not described in detail.  Besides the topic of rape, this was a clean read.

·       I loved the development of Enoch and Mandie’s relationship.

·       There was great tension and action at the end!

Overall, Mail-Order Duchess by Misty M. Beller is a riveting family saga and western historical romance.  I greatly enjoyed this novel!

Book Source:  Thank-you to author Misty M. Beller for an e-book review copy of this novel.

 

Rocky Mountain Journey by Misty M. Beller (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Title:  Rocky Mountain Journey

Author:  Misty M. Beller

Narrated by:  Pilar Witherspoon

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 7 hours and 11 minutes

Source: Audiobook purchased from Amazon.com.  Thank you to Bethany House Fiction for the physical copy of the novel as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour.

Where are you at with your summer reading goals?  I am finding myself slightly behind and I estimated I would get a lot more reading completed in June than I did due to my oldest son’s graduation open house.  Hopefully I will get my summer themed books next month!

In 1839, Faith Collins journeys through the Rocky Mountains in search of Steps Right, a Piegan Blackfoot woman who once saved her father’s life in order to fulfill her father’s dying wish.  She disguises herself as a man in order to travel with a group of trappers.  Grant Allen, a man working with the band of trappers as he looks for his long-lost brother, quickly realizes that Faith is a woman.  Together they help each other fulfill their quests.  Will they both find who they are looking for?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I always love books that involve a journey.  I loved Faith and Grants journey into the Rocky Mountains in search of missing loved ones.

·       This book also had adventure that includes a kidnapping and rescue.

·       This novel included a good side plot on how Grant had lost his faith and how he works to get his faith back throughout the novel. 

·       The romance between Grant and Faith was sweet and clean.

·       I love the cover of this book; it looks so beautiful and makes me want to visit the Rocky Mountains as soon as possible. The story had great description of the area as well.

·       I will admit that I was hoping for more story on trapping in the wild, but Faith and Grant leave the trappers early in the novel.

·       I liked that Grant figured out early on that Faith was a woman disguised as a man.  I always find it strange when a love story has the female disguised for way too long and it makes it hard for me to see them together as a couple.

·       This is the third novel in the Sisters of the Rockies series.  It worked fine as a stand alone novel, but I think I would have gotten more out of it if I would have had the back story of the first two novels.  In particular, I would have understood the background characters of Faith’s family much better.  I definitely need to go back to read them.

·       Once again, with life being so busy, I have found that listening to the audiobook is the best way for me to read this novel.  It was a good audiobook and I enjoyed Pilar Witherspoon as the narrator. 

·       An excerpt was included at the end for a new novel, A Warrior’s Heart, which is the start of a new series.  It pulled me in and looks like a great new series.

Overall, Rocky Mountain Journey was a good historical romance and journey through adventure, love, and faith.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Masquerading as a man, Faith Collins embarks on a perilous journey through the untamed wilderness of the Rocky Mountains in search of the Peigan Blackfoot woman who once saved her father's life. She joins a group of trappers who may be able to lead her to the place the woman is hiding, but keeping Faith's identity a secret proves more difficult than she imagined.

Grant Allen is searching for his younger brother, who was separated from him when their parents died many years ago. After receiving word that his brother went west to the Rockies, he unites with a group of trappers, hoping they can lead him to his brother's location. Soon Grant realizes there's a woman hiding among the men, and he's determined to find out who she is, what she's hiding, and how he can keep her safe in this country of wild animals and even wilder men.

In this rousing conclusion to her Sisters of the Rockies series, Misty M. Beller embarks on an adventurous journey where loyalty, love, and sacrifice intertwine amid the unforgiving frontier.

AUTHOR BIO

USA Today bestselling author Misty M. Beller (MistyMBeller.com) writes romantic mountain stories set on the 1800s frontier and woven through with the truth of God's love. Her Southern roots run deep, and she lives in South Carolina with her husband and children.