Regina (virgosun) reviewed Promised by Post (Wild West Weddings, Bk 2) (Harlequin Historical, No 1227) on + 886 more book reviews
Could you ever be a mail-order bride? Well, maybe not in modern times, but on the American frontier, lifeand marriagewere a different ball game back then. I am endlessly fascinated with the subject to the point where I suspect I was one in a past life. Well, if not an actual mail-order bride, then surely I've lived in that era. Truly, though, I simply can't get enough of these. Fearful, desperate, or destitute, women who married strangers were often making a last ditch effort to staying alive and remaining respectable.
Happily, Madison used a fresh backdrop for the second book of her Wild West seriesa California ranch during the time when the U.S. government validated Spanish land grants. The history lesson was absorbing, though the practice was often unfair to the Mexican families who owned these ranches. As romance novels tend to gloss over or completely overlook that integral part of U.S. history, I felt like I had a double treat.
As far as romances go, Promised by Post was a sweet tale with just a bit of spice. As a couple, Daniel and Anna both had appealing backgrounds; he, the resented and ignored son who forever lived in the shadow of his older half-sibling; and Anna, an Irish immigrant with a desperate need for security. Of course, their forbidden attraction created loads of sexual tension with Daniel barely being able to control himself, which was way fun. Moreover, the entire family subterfuge was amusing at first, but I did find myself somewhat irritated with them the longer they dragged it out. I could certainly feel Anna's frustration there.
Explanations and the tying of loose ends were a little choppy at the end with unexpected yet creative results. This is a solid romance, but the unusual setting and ethnic background nudged it slightly higher with my rating of 3.5 stars.
Happily, Madison used a fresh backdrop for the second book of her Wild West seriesa California ranch during the time when the U.S. government validated Spanish land grants. The history lesson was absorbing, though the practice was often unfair to the Mexican families who owned these ranches. As romance novels tend to gloss over or completely overlook that integral part of U.S. history, I felt like I had a double treat.
As far as romances go, Promised by Post was a sweet tale with just a bit of spice. As a couple, Daniel and Anna both had appealing backgrounds; he, the resented and ignored son who forever lived in the shadow of his older half-sibling; and Anna, an Irish immigrant with a desperate need for security. Of course, their forbidden attraction created loads of sexual tension with Daniel barely being able to control himself, which was way fun. Moreover, the entire family subterfuge was amusing at first, but I did find myself somewhat irritated with them the longer they dragged it out. I could certainly feel Anna's frustration there.
Explanations and the tying of loose ends were a little choppy at the end with unexpected yet creative results. This is a solid romance, but the unusual setting and ethnic background nudged it slightly higher with my rating of 3.5 stars.
