I've always enjoyed mail-order bride stories, because they catch my imagination. What would make a woman travel across the country to marry a man she's never met? Mail order-bride stories set at Christmas, even better! The tie binding these four stories together is Mrs. Mayberry's Matrimonial Society for Christians of Moral Character. In the final story, we meet Mrs. Mayberry herself, and find out what caused her to become a matchmaker.

I enjoyed reading each of the stories, and several of them could have been extended to be intriguing stand-alones, as some of the endings were rushed or jumpy. I was able to finish all four stories in one weekend, and they each drew me in. I found myself rooting for the brides and their grooms to fall in love and figure out their problems. I felt most sorry for Annika, being the innocent pawn in her intendeds family power struggle. I was most relieved for Jolie, since her original groom sounded like a jerk. I wanted to smack Elisabeth and Zane, for each being so secretive - not a good foundation for marriage. And I was curious why Mrs. Mayberry was so darn set on fixing the one match that failed.

If you're looking for good quick reads set in historical times at Christmas, this book is for you! It would also be a great Christmas gift.

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This is a 4 in 1 book - 4 short novellas about Mrs. Mayberry's Matrimonial Society for Christians of Moral Character.
-- A Trusting Heart, by Carrie Turansky -Annike is going west as a mail order bride for Chase, a cattle rancher in Wyoming who has a 7-year-old daughter. But, she does not know that the letter was actually written by Chase's father who wants Chase to marry. Very sweet story of a girl who trusts the Lord.
-- The Prodigal Groom, by Vickie McDonough. Jolie is on the stage to Nevada to meet Hiram, her intended. But the stage was robbed and Hiram refuses to marry her when he hears that she had to spend a night with Clay, a man who was wounded in the attack. Instead, Hiram insists that Clay must marry her and must pay Hiram the money for her passage. I liked the way this author dealt with issues of forgiveness and of learning to love.
-- Hidden Hearts by Therese Stenzel. Elizabeth's aunt makes arrangements for her to be a mail order bride to Zane, a man in Nebraska who has two daughters. Zane and Elizabeth are both hiding secrets that they need to learn to share.
-- Mrs. Mayberry Meets Her Match, by Susan Paige Davis. Amelia Mayberry, the matchmaker of Mrs. Mayberry's Matrimonial Society, has helped 193 couples in 15 years, and is ready to retire. But there is still one prospective groom who does not yet have a wife - an older man who was a close friend of Amelia's husband. She is determined to find him a good wife. This was my favorite of the four stories.

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