Lucie: Bride of Tennessee (American Mail-Order Brides #16)

Lucie Croft is heading toward a new life in Tennessee as a mail-order bride. She’s nervous, but knows she has no other options if she wants to take care of her little brother properly. But when she arrives, it’s only to find that her groom has died. Sebastian McCord and his little girl were on the train with Lucie and her brother, however, and step in to help. Widower Sebastian has his hands full, but something pulls him to Lucie and they find themselves in a position where they could help each other, but can they overcome their insecurities to reach for a chance at happiness?

This novella packs a lot into one story: there are dead parents, a murdered spouse, and even a dead potential spouse. Combine that with vengeful employers, difficult children, burns, and being trapped in an abandoned building, and you are in for a bumpy ride of a love story. There is enough tension between the two main characters to keep the reader turning pages, but with so much going on sometimes the characterization and emotional pull is flat. The storyline has several twists to it, but overall Lucie is a classic damsel-in-distress character and her hero, Sebastian is the white knight always in the right place to rescue her. The secondary cast is just quirky enough to make the setting feel more real and readers will enjoy the family feel as Sebastian and Lucie navigate their unexpected journey on the way to love.

Kate Campbell