The Anonymous Bride (Texas Boardinghouse Brides, Book 1) [Paperback]

Vickie McDonough (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2010

Check yourself into the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series by Vickie McDonough, where you’ll meet Luke Davis, marshal of Lookout, Texas, who flippantly tells his cousin he’d get married if the right woman ever came along. When three mail-order brides are delivered to Luke a month later, he’s in an uncomfortable predicament. How will he ever choose his mate? Rachel Hamilton’s long-time love for Luke is reignited with his return to town. So when three mail-order brides appear, she panics. Will she find the courage to tell Luke that she loves him? Or take an anonymous part in the contest for his hand?

(20100310)

Editorial Reviews

Review

For the first book in the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series, McDonough has crafted an engaging read, one made even more pleasant by her quirky characters.

(Angie Howatt RT Book Reviews (Romantic Times) )

Vickie McDonough possesses a unique voice, and in The Anonymous Bride she uses it to lure in, capture and claim her readers. You’ll want to read this one when you have a good chunk of time to do nothing more than that, because you won’t want to put it down. Filled with authentic detail relevant to the historical era of the storyline, this book is a must have! The author knows how to spin a tale, and she does it with flair and finesse in The Anonymous Bride. Great storytelling!

(Delia Latham My Book Bag blog )

Book Description

Marshal Luke Davis has three mail-order brides competing to win his hand. Is any one of them right for him? Boardinghouse owner Rachel Hamilton doesn’t have the courage to tell Luke she loves him. Can she swallow her pride and help him choose his mate? Will Luke discover true love through a contest of the heart?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc. (April 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160260696X
• ISBN-13: 978-1602606968
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Vickie McDonough is an award-winning author of 24 books and novellas. Vickie's books have won the Inspirational Reader's Choice Contest, Texas Gold, and the ACFW Noble Theme contest, and she has been a multi-year finalist in ACFW's BOTY/Carol Awards contest. Vickie is the author of the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series, is a co-author of Texas Trails: A Morgan Family series, and next year, Whispers on the Prairie.

Vickie and her husband live in Oklahoma. She is a wife of thirty-six years, mother of four grown sons and grandma to a feisty five-year-old girl. When she's not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, gardening, watching movies, and traveling. To learn more about Vickie's books, visit her website: www.vickiemcdonough.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting Mail Order Bride Story, May 28, 2010

By 

Anita Draper "wreader (writer/reader)" (Saskatchewan, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Anonymous Bride (Texas Boardinghouse Brides, Book 1) (Paperback)

There's just something about a mail-order bride story that fills me with more anticipation than a normal romance. Probably because of that unknown factor of the hero and heroine expecting to wed - sometimes within hours - of meeting.

So when Vickie McDonough put out the call for influencers to review a copy of the first book in her Texas Boardinghouse Brides series , I put my hand up faster than a winner does at Bingo.

The Anonymous Bride greatly exceeded everything I hoped for in a romance. Vickie's easy writing style was the perfect vehicle for this historical set in 1886 Lookout, Texas. Visually appealing, the scenes unfolded without laborious descriptions to slow down the pace. And the humor... I can't tell you how many times I laughed out loud.

But, what really kept the story close to my heart was the emotional impact the mail-order bride had on the heroine, Rachel Hamilton. Because you see, Rachel wasn't the mail-order bride. Oh, no. Rachel was just the owner of the boardinghouse where the mail-order bride stayed, which meant Rachel was the one to do her laundry, clean her room and cook her meals.

And there wasn't just one mail-order bride trying to marry the man Rachel loved. There were 3 of them.

How could a man be so insensitive and encourage three women to think they were the only one? Well, it certainly wasn't Luke, the town marshal. No, Luke was moseying along minding his own business, wondering what he was going to do about Rachel when the brides begin to appear bearing letters he supposedly wrote. Seems his cousins figured once a new woman was on the scene, Luke would forget all about the love he used to share with Rachel. They didn't figure on three women wanting to marry Luke.

I sympathized with Rachel when she realized her boardinghouse was the only possible place for the hopeful brides to reside. And, I cried buckets when the brides - who travelled so far on faith, each desperate for their own home - put forth their small requests of assistance to Rachel, without realizing their effect on her trampled heart.

And oh, the pain when honorable Luke agrees to pick a bride.

I loved this story. Both Luke and Rachel place their lives in God's hands, trusting He knows best although they may not like it at the time.

Second Chance Brides, Book 2 in the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series, releases Sept. 1st. Yay!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Brides One Goom, June 5, 2010

By 

Vicki Cato - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Anonymous Bride (Texas Boardinghouse Brides, Book 1) (Paperback)

Luke Davis has no idea of the trouble in store for him when he returns to Lookout. This book is an adventure from beginning to end as the new marshal tries to disentangle himself from the scheme devised by his wily cousins.
I especially enjoyed the antics of Jacqueline a little girl who is anxious to add her mother to the mix. The brides are distinctly different in character and the competition between them creates chaos.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recipe for Lookout Romance and Robbery!, May 26, 2010

By 

Josanne (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Anonymous Bride (Texas Boardinghouse Brides, Book 1) (Paperback)

I just finished "Anonymous Bride" by Vickie McDonough last week. Over the past year or so, Mrs. McDonough has slowly become one of my favorite authors. Her superb storytelling abilities hook me right away, and don't release me until the very last page. In this story, simmering on the back burner throughout, are greedy men of the Wild West who bend the rules to suit themselves. Their evil deeds pull them like a magnet to vulnerable people and banks in small towns. Luke Davis has just arrived in Lookout, Texas as the new Sheriff. Lookout is a quaint little town that is surrounded by dirt roads, fishin' holes, dense woods and countryside homes. For ten years, Luke has been plagued by an unforgiving heart. He thinks that by returning to his hometown, he can finally sort things out with the local boardinghouse owner, Rachel; then move on with the rest of his life in peace. Sandwiched in the middle of these two lives is Jack, a rambunctious young tomboy, and Max, the dog that no one wanted. Add to the mix, Luke's unpredictable cousins, who decide on the sly that it is their manly duty to find Luke a bride from a newspaper ad! The arrival of more than just one mail-order bride adds unexpected chuckles and major drama to Lookout's tranquility. Vickie's 347-page novel was over all too quick. It made me anxious to read the Sequel, and hungry for homemade biscuits!