Customer Reviews

Mail-Order Groom (Harlequin Historical)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It was an okay read. There was something about this story that kept me reading but I decided there was something else about the dialog that put me off. The characters were likable but there was a stiffness about them that I did not enjoy. It definitely doesn't belong on my keeper shelf.

Historical Western Romance is my favorite genre, and I was utterly charmed by Lisa Plumley's "Mail-Order Groom". The characters are very well-written and interesting. The story line is paced just right, allowing us to discover the little extras about each character while the action builds to a climax. The romance is funny, poignant, and sweetly sensual. Savannah Reed has fled to Morrow Creek, Arizona to escape family scandal and public ridicule. Desperate for respectability and a different last name, she strikes up a relationship with a mail-order groom whom she thinks is the answer to her prayers. Instead, he is a hardened criminal who preys on women seeking husbands. Detective Adam Corwin has an intense interest in seeing the villain brought to justice. He has intercepted and manipulated the correspondence between the unsuspecting Savannah and her villainous beau, who has used Adam's name in his communications with Savannah. When a violent confrontation leaves Adam greatly injured near Savannah's home, she takes him in to care for him, and discovers her letters and photo. She is overjoyed that her mail-order groom has arrived. Adam had become smitten with Savannah by reading her letters over and over and frequently gazing at her photo. Meeting her in person leaves him dazzled, and she is equally affected by her attraction to Adam. Savannah hides her past from Adam, and he hides his real identity in order to pursue his target. Adam and Savannah are two hearts in hiding, each having suffered from a lack of love and care in their lives. Their affection and attraction for each other is immediate and unexpected, leaving them to cautiously make their way to a true and lasting love. Lisa Plumley has written a wonderful western romance with great heart and humor. I look forward to reading the other entries in her "Morrow Creek" series!

RT rated this story with 4 stars--4 ½ being the highest rating. The RT reviewer wrote this story had plenty of gun-slinging, bloodshed and lovemaking that would keep the readers turning the pages. Makes me wonder if I read the same book. The beginning was fairly good with some action. Gave me hope. But from there forward to page 126 (which was nearly halfway through) not much happened. At least not enough to make me want to finish it. I found this predictable story to be slow (the heroes recovery time) and dull with low impact conflict, with characters using inconsistent voices, (too modern sounding) with characters not all that memorable, with a couple of points I didn't buy. The writing itself wasn't all that bad, but this author has a habit of throwing in ten-dollar words that need a dictionary for clarification. Hey, I have nothing against the dictionary. It's a great book, but it doesn't make for a good romance.