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loverofromance 's review for:
The Mail Order Bride's Secret
by Linda Broday
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
First Impressions
The Mail Order Bride’s Secret is book three in the Mail Order Brides series by Linda Broday. I somehow have missed some books by this author and in general I truly do love her work. I have been meaning to get back to this series though, I ended up loving the first book, so I was really was looking forward to this one even though after reading the blurb of it I was a bit nervous on how the heroine would be handled. But I have to say that I became very impressed with how Linda Broday wrote this story and the way in which the romance was developed and the gritty feel of a western it was delivered in. Linda Broday always knows how to write a solid western. And I also was impressed with how she “handled” the secret that the heroine has, it was done better than I thought it would be.
Summary
The gist of the story is that our hero and heroine, Trait Trinity and Melanie Dunbar, have been exchanging letters in hopes of getting married. They were matched by a ex outlaw who wanted to bring couples together that had skirted the law but had hearts of gold. Trait is a outlaw, and has been known to steal money on trains. Then we have Melanie who with her sister and father work gambling tables. Trait hates his past and what he had to do, but the money he gained from his theft he has tried for good and to help others. Then Trait’s sister and brother in law are murdered with three children he is now in charge of. Then we have Melanie, who has been captured along with her sister for the crime of her father who abandoned them. A corrupt judge, has given her a deal, if she can get the money from Trait and bring Trait to him, her sister and herself will be cleared of all charges. Her sister is sick and she knows she won’t last in prison. But when Melanie and Trait get married, a instant chemistry builds and they also discover a sweet strong love, but is it going to be enough to survive the secret that Malanie is keeping from Trait?
What I Loved
I was so hooked into the way that the romance actually developed between these two. I also was thrilled to see the way that the family really comes together. From the beginning you really feel for the heroine and what she feels she has to do. I did have some issues with what led up to that, but I did like that she does come clean with Trait. Most times its the truth coming out before they tell the big secret, so I was impressed that the author didn’t drag it out until the end AND that the heroine came clean on her own. I really enjoyed the “family” aspect of the story. We have these three orphans, who are just babies and so scared and in need of love. They have had this trauma of losing their parents in such a horrific way, There are some fun times that happened including the kids putting a “circus” together for the town. We also see some old favorites from the Legend family that come into play with this story. There is quite a big climax and I was really impressed with how gritty the end of the story was built into. Linda Broday really worked her talent there. But we do have some pretty dark villains that come into play, and it really slides into home how dangerous the “wild west” can be.
What I Struggled With
The only aspect that I really struggled with was the heroine and it’s what keeps this book from being a higher rating, everything else I fell in love with. I just didn’t like how long the heroine kept the secret from Trait, it went on way too long. I just wasn’t a fan with how the heroine was a bit manipulative and especially when see that Trait had 3 kids that needed him, I just didn’t understand her motivations in not telling him the truth earlier. And it just rubbed me the wrong way the way in which the heroine went about certain actions.
The Narration
I really enjoyed the narration, I think that this heroine does a solid job with Linda Broday’s work, she isn’t too good sped up too quickly and the most you can comfortably listen to at is between 1.4-1.5 but I normally listen at that speed, but those that like faster might struggle. I did enjoy the way that she brought in the various levels of emotion into the story. She has such a lovely voice and quickly draws you into it.
Overall View
I found The Mail Order Bride’s Secret to be a powderkeg of a western romance and really brings together the feelings of hope and family. There is a sense of thrill and adventure mixed in with intrigue and some well-brushed villains that compound into a solid win of a read!
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
First Impressions
The Mail Order Bride’s Secret is book three in the Mail Order Brides series by Linda Broday. I somehow have missed some books by this author and in general I truly do love her work. I have been meaning to get back to this series though, I ended up loving the first book, so I was really was looking forward to this one even though after reading the blurb of it I was a bit nervous on how the heroine would be handled. But I have to say that I became very impressed with how Linda Broday wrote this story and the way in which the romance was developed and the gritty feel of a western it was delivered in. Linda Broday always knows how to write a solid western. And I also was impressed with how she “handled” the secret that the heroine has, it was done better than I thought it would be.
Summary
The gist of the story is that our hero and heroine, Trait Trinity and Melanie Dunbar, have been exchanging letters in hopes of getting married. They were matched by a ex outlaw who wanted to bring couples together that had skirted the law but had hearts of gold. Trait is a outlaw, and has been known to steal money on trains. Then we have Melanie who with her sister and father work gambling tables. Trait hates his past and what he had to do, but the money he gained from his theft he has tried for good and to help others. Then Trait’s sister and brother in law are murdered with three children he is now in charge of. Then we have Melanie, who has been captured along with her sister for the crime of her father who abandoned them. A corrupt judge, has given her a deal, if she can get the money from Trait and bring Trait to him, her sister and herself will be cleared of all charges. Her sister is sick and she knows she won’t last in prison. But when Melanie and Trait get married, a instant chemistry builds and they also discover a sweet strong love, but is it going to be enough to survive the secret that Malanie is keeping from Trait?
What I Loved
I was so hooked into the way that the romance actually developed between these two. I also was thrilled to see the way that the family really comes together. From the beginning you really feel for the heroine and what she feels she has to do. I did have some issues with what led up to that, but I did like that she does come clean with Trait. Most times its the truth coming out before they tell the big secret, so I was impressed that the author didn’t drag it out until the end AND that the heroine came clean on her own. I really enjoyed the “family” aspect of the story. We have these three orphans, who are just babies and so scared and in need of love. They have had this trauma of losing their parents in such a horrific way, There are some fun times that happened including the kids putting a “circus” together for the town. We also see some old favorites from the Legend family that come into play with this story. There is quite a big climax and I was really impressed with how gritty the end of the story was built into. Linda Broday really worked her talent there. But we do have some pretty dark villains that come into play, and it really slides into home how dangerous the “wild west” can be.
What I Struggled With
The only aspect that I really struggled with was the heroine and it’s what keeps this book from being a higher rating, everything else I fell in love with. I just didn’t like how long the heroine kept the secret from Trait, it went on way too long. I just wasn’t a fan with how the heroine was a bit manipulative and especially when see that Trait had 3 kids that needed him, I just didn’t understand her motivations in not telling him the truth earlier. And it just rubbed me the wrong way the way in which the heroine went about certain actions.
The Narration
I really enjoyed the narration, I think that this heroine does a solid job with Linda Broday’s work, she isn’t too good sped up too quickly and the most you can comfortably listen to at is between 1.4-1.5 but I normally listen at that speed, but those that like faster might struggle. I did enjoy the way that she brought in the various levels of emotion into the story. She has such a lovely voice and quickly draws you into it.
Overall View
I found The Mail Order Bride’s Secret to be a powderkeg of a western romance and really brings together the feelings of hope and family. There is a sense of thrill and adventure mixed in with intrigue and some well-brushed villains that compound into a solid win of a read!