Showing results by author "Karla Gracey" in All Categories

Clara Weston is facing an uncertain future. Her army captain father has been killed in battle, leaving Clara and her elderly grandmother, Eugenia, alone to fend for themselves. Feisty and tenacious, Eugenia isn’t about to let her granddaughter throw her life away - and so she advertises on Clara’s behalf as a mail-order bride. Clara and her grandmother set out for Iron Creek. But the journey is long and hard going - and things only get worse as their wagon train crosses paths with a gang of bandits.

Isabelle Landry is beautiful, wealthy, and courted within the highest echelons of Massachusetts' society. But every man her Mama thinks a suitable match, she finds dull and often repulsive. She longs for a simpler life, one where her worth has nothing to do with her annual income or her vast inheritance. A new friend gives her the confidence to follow her own path, and she answers an advertisement, praying it might change her life forever.

Silver River is a little town full of strong men who followed the trail west to Montana hoping to get rich from the Silver Rush that gave this picturesque valley its name. Many of them are lonely, but their pioneering spirit means they make their own luck. As the town begins to expand, its inhabitants are getting restless, looking for love and adventure.

As an orphan who was raised by the Chippewa Indian tribe, Garrett Harding has grown up caught between two worlds. But now, he has had enough of the loneliness - now, Garrett wants a wife. Katy Jones is desperate. After a deadly pandemic left her a widow, Katy now finds herself trapped in a disease-ridden town. Needing a way out of town fast, Katy advertises as a mail-order bride, and it seems that fortune is on her side when Garrett sends her his reply.

Welcome to Texas and the growing town of Ruby Springs - a place where dreams can come true and fortunes made if you are brave enough to take a chance. Handsome and tough heroes with a softer side meet plucky and determined ladies who want more than society thinks they should.

Unlike other women her age, Anna MacDonald has never set much hope on finding herself a husband. Far more important is the task of finding a position of employment...in a society that is untrusting of female doctors, that has proven challenging so far, to say the least. So, Anna resigns herself to replying to a collection of advertisements from men seeking mail-order brides. Who knows? Maybe one of them might even live in a town that would welcome her as a doctor. But what man would ever want a wife who places her career above family?

Annie Cahill has had a tough life, forced to leave home and work from an early age to support her sick mama and younger siblings. Always the one everybody else could rely on, she decides to finally reach out to take something for herself. But will she find the courage to see it through? Mackenzie Stott spends his life surrounded by cattle, and loves the peace and solitude his life in Montana offers. But he has a past and isn't sure he will ever find anyone who can see past it.

Immerse yourself in nine mail order bride stories in the Sun River Brides series. Come along for the ride to meet feisty Boston city girls who know what they want, and rugged Montana men who just need to be loved. It's 1900, and things are changing fast in sleepy Sun River. As the town begins to expand, its inhabitants are getting restless, looking for love and adventure.

Aidan O'Shaunessy has been working hard; down the mines by day and trying to get his land in order by night. But finally he has the money he needs to buy the dairy herd he needs to salvage his family's heritage. But he is lonely and craves the love of a good woman. Meredith Lisle was born into privilege, but her comfortable life has been ripped from her grasp by the tragic deaths of her beloved parents. Courageous to the last, she takes her future into her own hands, but can she banish the ghosts from Aidan's past?

For Carl Hennigan, Iron Creek is more than just a town—it is a chance. His chance to start over. To live a life of his own. To teach and do what makes his heart happy. As Carl settles in Iron Creek, he can’t help thinking that his new life wants for nothing—except perhaps somebody to share it with. Just as Carl is about to take the chance and advertise for a wife, he finds another listing from a young woman. Her replies intrigue him, as does the fact that she keeps her full identity hidden. But could there be more connecting them than Carl realizes?

Why would an accomplished governess respond to an advertisement in the Matrimonial Times? Myra Gilbert had never considered such a thing, but something has awoken within her and she is determined to take her chance on love. Carlton Green claimed his lands, and now has the deeds in his grasp. But something is missing in his life. Will his quest to find love fill that hole, or is there something from his past that could change everything and leave him with nothing?

When everything you know and believe is telling you "no", do you have the strength to listen to the true voice of your heart? Far away in Iron Creek, stagecoach driver Nelson Gustavson is fighting his own loneliness and places an advert for a bride. As replies flood in, he begins to fear that he’ll have to settle for someone, or search hard to make a connection. That is, until he finds Bronwen’s letter, a blunt and honest reply that he feels compelled to respond to. As Bronwen and Nelson connect through their letters, she feels his warmth radiate through his honesty.

Bryony Shaw has never before thought of leaving Baltimore and her safe place in service, but things change for her when she is forced to become the nanny of her employer's son, Edwin. Finally finding the courage of her convictions, she confronts them about their lack of care. An orphan herself, she knows the pain of feeling abandoned and cannot bear the thought of such a young boy feeling that way, too. But what follows, nobody would ever have expected.

Maggie Smith left her home and family behind her to forge a successful career. But she is beginning to wonder if it truly was worth all the sacrifices she has made. But her desire for a family and loving partner may be a challenge too far. Has she already had everything she dreamed of, and foolishly pushed it away? Ethan Cahill has spent most of his adult years alone, wandering wherever he could find work. His family's newly found luck has given him the stability he once craved. But is it enough? Find out.

Will Ryan is a busy man. He has a farm that he has finally managed to get in good heart and is one of the town deputies. He is gentle and the kind of man who can always be relied upon to help anyone in trouble. When Anna responds to his advertisement for a bride, he knows he must help her - even if it costs him the chance to love again. He prays that if he can make this sweet woman's life better that he will finally achieve redemption from his own past. But can he really ever forget and forgive himself for what happened to Alice?

Clara Wilton is bored. Trapped in the life of a Boston socialite, she longs for adventure, purpose, and true love. To enliven her dull life, she accepts a wager - little knowing that it will change her life in every way. Sheriff Nathaniel Hale has finally found the home he always longed for and a job he adores. But, just as he starts to feel that he can truly make a life for himself, a figure from his past emerges, threatening to put everything he has come to hold dear at risk.

Ambassador's daughter Marietta Winthrop has given up her own prospects of marriage and family to be a companion to her melancholic aunt. She secretly longs for adventure and the love of a man who won't try and change her but knows she is hoping for too much. She knows that all the men of her acquaintance would banish poor Aunt Clara to a sanatorium and she will not let that happen. But keen of mind, and inspired by a special day spent at the botanic gardens, Marietta begins to wonder if there just might be more to life after all.

Harriet Kirk has spent a lifetime being overlooked. Though she adores her sister, Annalise, who is beautiful and urbane, confident and accomplished in every situation, Harriet is tired of always being compared unfavorably to her. Clever and quick, practical and sensible, Harriet has always felt like an ugly duckling, but it has never stopped her from wanting the happily ever after that her sister always seemed destined for. But an unusual twist in their fates has them taking their destiny into their own hands.

Amelia Llewellyn had a wonderful childhood, but when she lost her beloved Mama to illness as a girl her life changed beyond recognition. All but bringing up her half-brother while her Papa and his new bride travel, she wants so much more for her life than she now has. But how can she change her life, and will she have the courage to follow through with her plans?

Elise Mitchell is no stranger to traveling huge distances to follow her heart, but this time she is making the move to take back control. Tragically widowed and with a young son to look out for, she finds herself beholden to her husband's family and their grip is chafing. Having come from Scotland, she knows the mountains and the fresh air will be a tonic for her and her son, Bailey, but will the wilds of Montana be far enough away for her to be free of the Mitchell's clutches?