A Bride For Keeps

Unexpected Brides, Book 1

By: Melissa Jagears

Narrated by: Pilar Witherspoon

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Although Everett Cline can hardly keep up with the demands of his homestead, he won't humiliate himself by looking for a helpmate ever again--not after being jilted by three mail-order brides. When a well-meaning neighbor goes behind his back to bring yet another mail-order bride to town, he has good reason to doubt it will work, especially after getting a glimpse at the woman in question. She's the prettiest woman he's ever seen, and it's just not possible she's there to marry a simple homesteader like him.

Julia Lockwood has never been anything more than a pretty pawn for her father or a business acquisition for her former fiancé. Having finally worked up the courage to leave her life in Massachusetts, she's determined to find a place where people will value her for more than her looks. Having run out of all other options, Julia resorts to a mail-order marriage in far-away Kansas.

Everett is skeptical a cultured woman like Julia could be happy in a life on the plains, while Julia, deeply wounded by a past relationship, is skittish at the idea of marriage at all. When, despite their hesitations, they agree to a marriage in name only, neither one is prepared for the feelings that soon arise to complicate their arrangement. Can two people accustomed to keeping their distance let the barricades around their hearts down long enough to fall in love?

©2013 Melissa Jagears (P)2013 Recorded Books

Great Christian Romance

A story about two people who both think they are not good enough for each other due to traumatic past experiences. Their relationship is unable to grow until they each find the courage to open up to to one another.
Sometimes God puts us in uncomfortable situations that are scary and require courage. If we can let go of the control we hang on to in order to not be hurt again, we'll usually see that God has put what we most need in life right in front of us.

Great love story

This was a great Christian based love story! Everett is such a great hero. You fall in love with him. He truly loves Julia and shows her God’s love. Also had lots of passion!

This should be labeled as a Christian romance

The characters were mostly likable in this story about a couple living on Kansas homestead. The only problem I had was with the use of Christian scripture throughout. I don’t like books that rely on religion to tell their stories. It feels stilted and artificial due to all the prayers and such that don’t seem true to the time and place. It should be labeled as a Christian romance.

okay *spoiler*

I liked the narrator, the story was okay it just seemed to run around in circles, I would have preferred to read more about how she came to let go of her past and truly love again, I think there was too much time spent on miscommunication which kind of drove me crazy.

Finally, A Bride for Keeps!

I read the book a few years ago and wanted to revisit this story because I loved it so. I'm very glad it is available on Audible!
The most memorable part for me is when Everett finally gets Julia to understand that God loves her, no matter what. Also when Julia follows Everett to the barn.

I thought the narrator did a good job with all the voices with the exception of Rachel, she sounded more like a man than a woman.

A Nice story

it's was a good listen. I'm a realist in some ways and listening to the story some of the thought process the characters went through seemed ridiculous but otherwise it ended well

Great Read

Enjoyed storyline and character development. I will be reading more from Jagears! Kudos to writer and plot.

Enjoyed

I've read yhe story before and enjoyed the play of flawed people learning to love and be loved. The narration was good, but not spectacular. At times the story seems to lag, but I suspect that might be me more than the book itself. I am not always patient.

Love conquers

A betrayed man and violated woman decide to marry because they both need to marry for more than one reason. Can their vows before God conquer their prior hurts and open their hearts to each other? God can move mountains.

Solid first book in a series worth a credit

I have read and listened to something in every category in Audible. Inspirational books are especially calming and I do enjoy listening to authors in this genre. I enjoyed this book, for it has some excellent strengths for example the author’s use of the Story of David threads into the story of the book helps with her character development and moves the story forward. The main story involves Everett who has lost 3 brides to other men and one who died on the train ride to meet him so four brides lost. Then there is beautiful Julia who has both an emotionally abusive father who was pushing her to marry for a business deal to a man who raped her which is why she decided to run away from home, First she works in a inn cooking in the kitchen while she starts corresponding with an interfering but loving neighbor of Everett’s (Rachel) and encourages her to leave Boston for Kansas to become a mail order bride. It is a love story with a depth and breadth not usually seen in romantic fiction. The issues with the writing involved multiple weaknesses in continuity. At times the story jumps so one minute the reader is in the neighbor’s yard and the next at Everett’s. During all the months of correspondence that went on between Rachel and Julia what did they say to each other? Since, Julia did not know about any of the four failed brides’ stories, which did not ring so true to me and this could have been help with better editing so I do not hold the writer at fault for this flaw in its entirety. Also with regards to the plot, Julia’s story at least in part should have been partially known by Rachael who seemed so clueless about Julia’s background other than she was from Boston. Why someone wanted to leave a wealthy Boston family existence should have been something Rachel would have been at least concerned about. The use of the correspondence written between the women and the use of Rachel telling parts of Julia’s story would have lessen the repeating of each main characters story over and over so that it didn't sound like self absorbed whining and more like self reflection when it was self reflection in the story. Also about the lovely dresses and the inn job how did she work in them there? See what I mean, that continuity in the story does not follow.Julia would have had some work dresses made by then and wouldn't Rachel had suggested such too? Nevertheless, I did like this book and the writing/editing flaws aside it was worth listening to and I hope this writer continue to hone her craft.