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MAIL
ORDER HUSBAND
ISBN
1-60154-062-0
The Wild Rose
Press
Lauri
Robinson
Lauri
Robinson's book, Mail Order Husband, is a sweet
western historical romance, bound to put a smile on your face.
When a
hood-winked Jace Owens stumbles off the train from Philadelphia as
her husband to be, Penny Jordan is sure her friend, Candice, has
made a mistake in sending this man to help Penny save her
ranch.
Suffering from
the loss of a beloved wife and baby, Jace has surely let grief get
the best of him. To Penny's relief, however, he pulls himself
together and sets about righting the wrongs that have been plaguing
Penny and her ranch since her father died. Too
chivalrous to take advantage of their marriage by proxy, the story
revolves around the many trials and tribulations Jace goes through
to keep his hands, and feelings, to himself. He's got a life and a
veterinarian practice to return to in Philadelphia, but he is
set on helping Penny after he learns the trouble a rival rancher has
been causing. Indeed,
the mission seems to have given new meaning to his life and taken
away the horrible ache plaguing him since his wife's death.
At first wary,
Penny comes to admire the man who stands up for what is right and
most importantly, for her rights as a woman trying to make it in a
man's world. That he does so with integrity, dignity, and strength
has the whole town talking and Penny wishing for more from Jace.
Finding herself falling in love with her mail order husband, she
uses all manner of feminine wile to consummate their marriage. But
Jace is a man of his word, and knowing he'll be leaving, he
struggles mightily against Penny's allure. Seeing how long Jace can
hold out against Penny's charms is half the fun of this book. I
would've preferred less point-of-view switches in the beginning of
the story. Still, Ms. Robinson adroitly handles the more dramatic
situations that befall Penny and those around her, especially the
untimely death of a secondary character, and Penny's kidnapping at
the hands of a rogue rancher.
Ms. Robinson has written a delightful
and witty tale with an eastern-born hero any cowgirl can fall in
love with.
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