An Improper Proposal: Front Range Brides, Book 1

WESTERN/HISTORICAL:  Mail-order bride, Mae Ann, is left in dire straits when her intended is murdered mere hours before the wedding. With no money, family, or prospects, she fears what the future may bring, until Cade steps in. In a desperate situation, yet being a proud woman, she asks Cade if he is interested in a wife—as a business arrangement. Cade can hardly refuse this beautiful stranger, and both assume love will not play a role in this new and awkward life. Mae Ann and Cade settle into an odd routine with each pining for the other but feeling forbidden, yet when Mae Ann inherits a farm honesty comes tumbling from all sides.

This sharp-witted romance has the power to take modern readers and allow them to believe for a moment they are in 1880, though some of the dialogue still holds a modernistic twang. The thick-skinned heroine is not afraid to break conventions though has a vulnerability that makes one’s heart ache. All the characters have stories and questions which will make readers want to delve into their background. The exception is the ranch hand who doesn’t have much depth past food. Sadly, there are sections of the book that drag painfully while other parts have normal rhythm and speed. This story showcases how love can grow even through perilous circumstances and uncertainty.

Yannie Sorensen