Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Book Review: Abby: Mail Order Bride (Unconventional Series - Book 1) by Verna Clay

Title:  Abby: Mail Order Bride (Unconventional Series, Book 1)
Author:  Verna Clay
Genre:  Western Romance, Historical
Publisher:  M.O.I Publishing
Release Date:  January 5, 2014


From the Back Cover:

Brant Samson advertises for a mail order bride because raising three children after the death of his beloved wife is proving to be impossible. After reading Mr. Samson's classified advertisement in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Abigail Mary Vaughn garners enough courage to respond. Her motivations are simple: She loves children, she's always dreamed of having her own family, and since she is now considered an old maid, she'll more than likely spend the rest of her life in gut-wrenching loneliness unless she does something unconventional.



Buy Links: Amazon 
My Review:

This was a quick read, probably because I simply couldn't put it down.  I was sucked into the story right away and stayed there until the very end.  I love these sweet historical romance novels, especially when you find an author who knows how to develop the characters to be someone with whom you can truly find a connection.  

Abigail Mary Vaughn has spent most of her life caring for her elderly parents.  When they die, Abby finds herself quite alone.  When she decides to reply to an advertisement for a bride, she soon finds herself traveling from Philadelphia to a small town in Texas.  Brant Samson, who lost his wife a couple of years earlier, was doing his best to raise his three children and run his ranch.  Although the attraction was immediate as Abby stepped off the stagecoach, the romance built slowly, and was beautifully written.  Aside from the beautiful romance that developed, this was a story about loss and letting go.  A story about holding past loved ones near your heart but continuing to live your life and finding that you can love again.

There are moments of great joy in this novel, but there are also moments of great tragedy.  If you don't have a box of tissues handy, I suggest you not read this until you do.  This is at least a 3 tissue read!  So be prepared.  It does end with a HEA (happily ever after, for those of you who don't know what that means), but I don't want to give up any spoilers.

This is the first book I have read that was written by Verna Clay and I must say that I am intrigued.  Yes, I love historical romance, but I especially love a book that brings the characters to life for me.  And Verna Clay does this beautifully.  After getting a sneak peak at the next book in this series, I know that I will be reaching for another one very soon.


My Rating:



About the Author:


"2014 Gold Medal Winner: Readers' Favorite International Book Contest/Historical Romance for ABBY: MAIL ORDER BRIDE."

My perfect day: coffee shop; laptop; WiFi availability; java mocha; characters demanding their stories be told; a plot that comes together; and hours to live in an alternate reality.

Seriously, I have always loved reading, and now I love writing. As a preteen, I devoured Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Mysteries, but when I reached my teen years the romance genre became my favorite, and that has never changed. After years of procrastinating, I tried my hand at writing and I've been doing so with a passion ever since. I have written over twenty-five romance novels and novellas in the genres of contemporary western, historical western, general contemporary, and fantasy. Because I hate saying goodbye to characters who have lived with me for months, I usually create a series so they can be revisited from book to book. I have also written a Young Adult novella titled "Fragile Hearts" using the pen name of Colleen Clay.


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