The Troublesome Mail Order Bride by Cia Leah

☆☆☆☆☆

Published
April 7, 2014
Publisher
Cia Leah
Genre
Western Contemporary Romance
Pages
64

I pulled the original review back when I was looking to do better and honestly after reading the first review, I am really glad I did. It gave me a chance to revisit The Troublesome Mail Order Bride, it is still a great story.

The blurb gives so much away that I will just stick to my thoughts on The Troublesome Mail Order Bride so I don’t give away even more. I really like Shannon; she is hilarious and will keep Wyatt on his toes for life and I think Wyatt needs that. I also thought Shann’s siblings were a hoot and then sum especially when they drag Wyatt’s brother into the mix, I really hope there will be more stories related to this book.

Yes, the story is very short, I read it in about 2 hours with no interruptions, so it is a great book for catching up your reading count for any challenges you may be participating in.

I am going to stand by my previous rating of 5 stars, even though I did find some quote marks in the wrong places, because I have read this book before and really enjoyed it and I most definitely will be revisiting it again in the future.

Original Review
Posted on 5/10/2014
☆☆☆☆☆
Short book so it will be a short review. I almost put this book down but I am sure glad I didn’t, I spent most of my time with this book laughing and I look forward to reading it again in the future.

Blurb Rating
In this case I have to say less is more because the blurb for The Troublesome Mail Order Bride is basically told the whole story which is already pretty short, that said after reading the story and reading the blurb again I am left wondering why I purchased the book when I could get the story from the blurb.

Book’s Blurb
Novella length western romance.

Wyatt Larken found the mail order bride he thought would make his life complete. He wanted a woman who would settle down with him on the ranch, love him, bear his children, and live a quiet life. On the day his mail order bride was to arrive, the stage was held up by the Dooby Gang and the stagedriver left her stranded with the outlaws, hightailing it back to town.

Wyatt couldn’t believe the stagedriver when he told him Shannon was giving the outlaws a piece of her mind, citing the Ten Commandments to them, giving him time to get away. When Wyatt went after her, he found her walking back to town and she was in no mood to get wed that day.

Little did he realize that the quiet life he imagined was fraught with danger from the Dooby Gang. When his new wife’s sisters and brothers arrived to protect her and bring down the outlaw gang, he’d never seen a family like hers and found that trouble followed Shannon and her family.

Purchase Links
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A Husband For Hannah by Cia Leah

☆☆☆☆

Published
Apr 16, 2013
Publisher
Cia Leah
Pages
56
Author’s Page
https://cialeah.com/

Wow, I forgot how short this story was, it only took me 2 hours and 11 minutes to read according to my favorite reading app.

Remember writing the original review thinking I wish I had more time to say what I liked and didn’t like about this story but getting a second chance at a review is never a bad thing. Besides, A Husband For Hannah deserves a better review than the one I originally wrote, so lets get started.

Hannah’s uncles, Fester (the name makes me think of the Adams Family) and Grady, have a plan to ensure the beloved niece’s future happiness. Their plan involves a mail order husband while avoiding the wrath of said beloved niece. I have decided that it would be the coolest thing in the world to have a couple of Uncles like Fester and Grady, life would never be boring. Then there is Joey, I am positive the little guy was the driving force behind his father winning Hannah’s heart.

I think my only real complaint would be that the evil bad guy, Bart Cannon, had been shot the first time he showed his old ass at Hannah’s. There were a few edits but they were so minor that they didn’t create any speed bumps in the reading of this story.

Original Review
I wrote this review in February 2014

I was almost finished with this one when my Granddaughter arrived and needed me to read her a story so I thought I would finish it before going to bed.

I really enjoyed this short story it was well written. I really love old western type stories with the old-fashioned values like Honor and Pride.

Book Cover Rating
I like the cover, it looks romantic.

Book’s Blurb
Historical western romance short story.

Hannah Demsey never thought she would ever marry. Born without her little fingers on both hands, she thought no man would ever want her. When her Pa died, she almost gave up any hope of a normal life. He always went to town with her and to church, but when he died, she avoided the town and the people who talked about her.

When her uncles told her about sending for a mail order husband for her, she was furious with their shennanigans. Determined to send Justin Handley away when he arrived, she was unprepared to find her heart going out to his crippled son, Joey, and to find herself drawn to a man who didn’t let her imperfections bother him.

Justin Handley had searched for a woman to become his wife and a mother to his son, Joey. When he answered Hannah’s uncle’s letters and met Hannah, he found his heart smitten with her beauty and grace. Her kindness to his son and her loving ways soon embedded her in his heart. If only he could convince her they could both have the family they always wanted along with a love that would last a lifetime.

Purchase Link
https://amzn.to/2Lozu4h

The Paintbrush Murders by Cia Leah

☆

Published
February 28th 2011
Publisher
Cia Leah
Pages
24
Author’s Page
https://cialeah.com/

Made to Klamath Falls where Doug and I saw a Dutch Bros and knew we were in Oregon again. We still 4 hours to go before getting home and are hoping to get lunch in Eugene before hopping on I5 for the finale push for home.

I wrote this review a few years ago but like a number of others, I pulled it so I could bring it up to speed with what I was doing my blog.

Wow, I am so tempted to not write this review just because I don’t like writing negative reviews. I really was disappointed with this book, after reading five of Cia Leah’s other books. I am really surprised that I finished it but I think I was hoping it would pick up and get better, it never did 😦

The plot was good but the characters had no depth to them, it was ‘Oh I am the next victim, ok’ to ‘well, I guess your next, I will try to protect you’ blah blah blah. Where was the passion? And the end even with the plot twist was anti climatic. My heart didn’t race with the fear of suspense :(. I did delete this book from my library.

I know you can do better Cia Leah.

Book Cover Rating
Best part of the book.

Book Blurb Rating
Short for a short book

Book’s Blurb
Photographer, artist, Chelsea Darvers receives vivid paintings of a murder. When she receives one of herself, she knows she is next on the killer’s list.

Caleb’s Mail Order Bride (The Morgan’s Brides #1) by Cia Leah

☆

Published
December 15, 2013
Publisher
Cia Leah
Pages
40

Jacob is not getting any younger and he’ll be hanged if he dies before he gets himself a grandbaby.

I can’t decide who I like more or who I am not sure I like in Caleb’s Mail Order Bride. Two of the Morgan men know more about Sissy Drake’s family then she does. I am very certain they meant her no harm or they wouldn’t have arranged for the marriage to the third Morgan in the equation. Even with my concern for the motivations of the Morgan’s I still really liked Jacob, I wish more people were like him, he had a good heart and a smart mind. Sissy is shy and quiet with a loving heart that is the complete opposite of her family. Caleb seems to be a man set in his ways who even though he comes off as not really wanting a bride, he really just wants to be who he is wants his bride to love him for the man he is without changing him. I have to say I am not crazy about to given name of the youngest Morgan brother even if I do like the character.

What I didn’t like was the lack of action that went into this story that the blurb promised with the introduction of the brother. This has a lot of potential but needs more of the action to add to the drama. Then there are the multiple edits that are significant enough to almost ruin an almost decent story and take a three-star rating and drop down to a one-star rating.

Book Cover Rating
I just love this cover and how authentic it looks.

Book’s Blurb
Sweet, western short story.

Caleb Morgan couldn’t believe he had a mail order bride. She was beautiful and quiet too. He just hoped she would be happy with him. He was his own man and wouldn’t let any woman disrupt his life, but his Pa wasn’t in good health and wanted a grandchild. He felt it his duty to make his Pa as happy as he could for what time he had left. Little did Caleb realize that Sissy Drake would rope his heart on their wedding night despite his reservations.

Sissy Drake had no choice but to become a mail order bride. Her Pa was dead for a year when her aunt passed too, taking away her home with no other options available to her. When she met Caleb, she found him to be domineering and gruff, but she was determined to tame him and be the wife he needed.

Little did both of them know that her brother, Lawson, followed Sissy to Caleb’s ranch determined to find the stagecoach money their Pa hid. He had an old score to settle with Caleb too and wouldn’t let anything stand in his way.

Purchase Links
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Mindy’s Mail Order Husband by Cia Leah

☆☆☆☆☆

Published May 14, 2014
Pages 53

Cia Leah most certainly knows how to write her historical romances. Her Mail Order books really show case her talent.

I have to say I think my favorite character was Scuffy. And my favorite part in this book is when Scuffy blushes 🙂 during the conversation about consummating Mindy and Brett’s marriage, hehehe, that part was very well written. I am also glad that Scuffy was a great shot with a rifle.

Book’s Blurb
Sweet western romance short story.

Mindy Sue Tanner had no choice but to advertise for a mail order husband. Her pa passed on a year before and the ranch was in disrepair with her ranch hands refusing to take orders from her. She needed a husband at her side who could make the ranch prosper once again and a man to love her and build a life with. When Brett Connors showed up to marry her, she wondered if he was only marrying her for her ranch or if he truly wanted a life with her.

Brett Connors was tired of his life working for his father. He needed wide open spaces and a woman to love and care for. He wanted a home and family and not living his life stuck under his father’s thumb. When he saw Mindy’s advertisement for a mail order husband, he felt she was the right woman for him and she owned a ranch.

Purchase Links

Amazon