Mail-Order Marriages: Brides for Brothers/Marriage Risk (Midnight Sons 1-2)

Customer Reviews:

Even in reverse.......2003-03-10

I read the trilogy in reverse...and still loved volume 1--Mail Order Marriages. Knowing the outcome of Sawyer & Abbey's romance, I was still in suspense as I read this section of the novel. The whole trilogy is wonderful, and leads me to believe I'll have to visit Alaska soon.

Very enjoyable!.......2002-11-17

A very sweet first book in this trilogy. I really enjoy Macomber's stories -- they are entertaining, engrossing, and amusing. She paints interesting and colorful characters.

When I finished this book, I had to immediately plow through the other two books in this delightful trilogy set in Hard Luck, Alaska. I felt like I got to know all the characters, and to be honest, now that I've gone through all the books, (6 unique stories -- 2 per book) I miss reading about the folks from Hard Luck!

A truly sweet and delightful read. Highly recommended.

Excellent read.......2001-11-20

This was the best of the trilogy. It made me want to read the rest. Scott and Susan were very likeable characters. Sawyer and Abbey's love did seem a bit too perfect. I wish more was said about Abbey's first marriage.

My favorite of the trilogy was Charles and Lanni's story. It was the right amount of conflict/resolution. It shows that there are other factors to consider about being in love, such as how family can be affected. You root for them to overcome their problems.

Perfect Summer Reading.......2001-08-09

I loved the two stories in this book. The heroes and heroines are warm, likeable characters. Supporting them throughout the story are the kindly, interesting people that one would meet in a remote Alaskan town. Having traveled there myself, I could picture perfectly the makeshift buildings and open tundra that made up the town of Hard Luck. The two brothers, Sawyer and Charles, were gentlemanly and honest. Their soon to be spouses also were the kind of women you would have wanted for your friends and neighbors. The two children of Abby, Susan and Scott, were absolutely delightful and added yet another charming dimension to an already heartwarming story.

Since this book has two separate stories, it is perfect for taking on a trip. With a short flight or quick soak in a tub, there is a chance to make some progress and actually finish a book.

Too naive, too predictable.......2001-04-08

I had read This Matter of Marriage and loved it, that's why a bought the Midnight Sons series. Boy was I ever so disappointed! The characters are sketchy at best, everybody is just plain good, not an ounce of meanness in them. They just fall in love at first sight, I mean the ones who should, and everybody else just cheers. Nobody is heartbroken for more than a few lines, nobody is jealous, everybody is friendly, generous and understanding. Even for fiction it's too much.

The American Males Guide on How to Get More Pussy

Average customer rating:

Nasty
This Book Is Horrid
Not a great resource but has some pretty useful information
A Merry Xmas For Me!
Look Ma No Strings Attached

The American Males Guide on How to Get More Pussy
Keith Curtis
Manufacturer: Condos On The Moon Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sex | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0974639400

Book Description

"THIS IS NOT ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE HOW TO PICK UP GIRLS BOOKS". THIS IS A HOW TO GET MORE PUSSY BOOK!!!
It empowers you with indispensable, unfailing and irrefutable knowledge on how to obtain an abundance of pussy on multiple levels "guaranteed". The four basic primal instincts that motivate men to work are food, shelter, money and sex. When you need food you go to the grocery store, when you need shelter you see a realtor, when you need money you get a job, and when you want more sex you study THE AMERICAN MALES' GUIDE ON HOW TO GET MORE PUSSY This book is for all adult American males no matter what race or social background. From age 18 years and over, blue collar, white collar, or no collar

Customer Reviews:

Nasty.......2007-05-08

This book is definitely what you are looking for if you want to buy sex for around $20. But if you are looking for a real, clean (non-trailor park) woman...then honestly, don't read this book!

This Book Is Horrid.......2007-02-25

This book is more a directory of brothels, dance clubs with "happy ending" options, and how to get a prostitute into a room than it is about meeting and getting women.

It's really not that good at all.

Not a great resource but has some pretty useful information.......2006-04-21

I read the other reviews on the site and was very excited about thsi book, so I ordered it and eagerly awaited its arrival.When it came, I finished the book in one sitting. Unfortunately, the book did not live up to my expectations nor did it fulfill what the other reviewers had said. As another reviewer pointed out, this book has very little information on how to hook up with your regular women that you see on the street, at the grocery store, etc. On the other hand, for the 'hobbyist', this book is a good resource on the kinds of activities available for those who have the money and don't mind paying for sex. It is a one stop source for all kinds of information, addresses , phone numbers, links to internet resources for paid adult fun.

The grammatical style of the book leaves a lot to be desired. There are spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and a basic shoddiness about the book. I know that this is not intended to be a path breaking literary work, but the least that we cane xpect from a professional publishing house is for them to have good editors who sopt such mistakes and weed them out. Otherwise, you are left with a bad taste after reading this book, and it feels like you have just had a conversation with some one with very low education.

Overall, i rate the book a 3/5 merely for the information that it contains. If I ever decide to explore paid adult fun, then I know where to start lookingfor infomation, although it is by no means comprehensive. So in all, if you are looking for advice on how to lay that cute girl next girl but have no clue how to approach, this is definitely not the book for you.

A Merry Xmas For Me! .......2005-12-06

I ordered this book as a Christmas gift for a buddy and when it came I read a couple of pages then a few pages more and now I'm back here on Amazon to order another one for my buddy because I'm keeping the first one for myself. This book has so much information on the subject of how to get non-commital sex it's unbeliveable even though I have to hide at work in my desk. I'm married so I'm not looking for a girlfriend on the side I just want a strange piece every now and then, this guy (writer) sure knows his stuff. Thanx 4 the tips guy

Look Ma No Strings Attached.......2005-10-07

What a breath of fresh air this book was. It kept everything real simple just the way I like it. All I'm interested in is just sex period not a long term bulls@#t relationship I'm not looking to be domesticated now or ever. I was delighted that this was not just another one of those phoney "how to pick up girls books" and got right to the point which for me is sex with no strings attached. It probably wont help you find your next girlfriend but it sure will point you to 1000 ways on how to get laid.

Average customer rating:

Stupendous book
Excellent book
My letter to the author..
"your city, Petropolis
Fun, insightful novel

Petropolis
Anya Ulinich
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0670038199
Release Date: 2007-02-15

Book Description

Sasha Goldberg is the ultimate outsider: she's a chubby, biracial Jewish girl from the Siberian town of Asbestos 2. Her father takes off for the United States, and leaves Sasha to navigate adolescence in a bleak apartment bloc with her overbearing mother. Sasha falls in love with an art school drop-out who lives inside a concrete pipe in the town dump. Following her heart gets her into trouble at home, so she flees Russia as a mail-order bride and lands in suburban Arizona. Sasha manages to escape her Red Lobster-loving fiancé and embarks on a misadventure-filled journey across America in search of her father.

Anya Ulinich has crafted an unforgettable story of familial fault lines, cross-cultural confusion, and the beguiling allure of new beginnings. Petropolis is a funny and poignant debut marking the arrival of a major new voice in fiction.

Customer Reviews:

Stupendous book.......2007-09-04

The above reviews would give you the feeling that this is just an immigrant novel though a very good one. It is and a lot more.

It is a stupendously well written weave of character, plot and some of the best descriptive metaphors strung like pearls paragraph after paragraph. I am astounded.
Disclaimer: I have an semi-Jewish immigrant wife and know dinner table Russian which makes the book even more enjoyable. But it is not just an "insiders" book.

Excellent book.......2007-04-04

Very funny, very sad, unbelievably good book for such a young writer.

My letter to the author.........2007-03-20

Anya,

I just finished Petropolis.

I think this is the first book that I've read so far that truly captures the post- soviet childhood /immigration/ Russian Jewish/ experience. I think all of us have some interesting "Russian Immigrant" stories, but this is the first work that truly describes what it was like in the end, when there was no more ideology and everything was in decay.

I think I was mostly impressed with how well you summed up perceptions --- the way philanthropic Americans see Jewish refugees, how some Russians play up to the stereotype, how the intelligentsia view themselves, the type of life that a Russian "solider" has, the family bond (or a lack-there-of), the acceptance of prejudice, the way a Russian immigrant sees an American, the hopelessness that sometimes sets in (especially due to culture shock) etc etc.

I immigrated when I was fairly young, but for some reason I perfectly remember our Kiev communal apartment, our loving yet constantly drunk neighbors, and my art class at the local Pioneers Club with all of my brutally totalitarian, yet excellent teachers.

I also remember how haggled my parents looked after the flight from Sheremetivo II to NY, how polite my dad was when a Rabbi from a local Yeshiva forced my dad to recite "Shema" in Hebrew (my dad is Orthodox Christian), and how much we all struggled with the language, mannerisms and constant American optimism (be it fake or real).

Overall Petropolis is a realistic account of what it's like....

I would love to find a Russian translation to give to my parents.

Thank you for writing this.

Natasha

"your city, Petropolis.......2007-03-01

your brother, Petropolis, is dying." Osip Mandelstam

It is more than a bit ironic that some of the best "Russian" literature created in recent years has been written in English. The Diaspora that followed the fall of the Soviet Union has borne a great deal of literary fruit produced by writers such as Gary Shteyngart (Absurdistan), Lara Vapnyar (Memoirs of a Muse), and Olga Grushin (Dream Life of Sukhanov). The original, entertaining "Petropolis" by first-time novelist Anya Ulinich is a fine addition to this body of work.

"Petropolis" (the title is taken from a poem by Osip Mandelstam) tells the story of Sasha Goldberg. An adolescent, Sasha is young, overweight, ungainly, and part-black and Jewish in a world in which just one of those attributes is enough to mark you as an outsider. We first meet Sasha in her Siberian hometown, Asbestos2. Asbestos2, as the name suggests, is a city created during Stalin's reign in power to support the mining of asbestos. The fall of the USSR and the depletion of the mine have turned Asbestos2 into a bleak, post-apocalyptic city rapidly on its way to becoming a ghost-town. Sasha's father left the family for the United States when she was an infant.

Petropolis is the story of a journey, or series of journeys, something of a later-day Russian Ulysses. It takes Sasha from Asbestos2 to Moscow, from Moscow to Phoenix (where she is to be a mail order bride), from Phoenix to Michigan, and from Michigan to Brooklyn where she finds the father who deserted her as a child. The story also takes us back to Asbestos2 where Sasha's journey finds some sense of closure and reunites her with the child she left behind (like father like daughter) along the way.

In the hands of Ulinich, Sasha's journey is more than a mere screenplay for a coming-of-age road movie. Sasha's character is very well developed. Ulinich also has a keen eye for satire and a sharp sense of the foibles one sees in people in the US and in Russia, particularly those who, like Sasha (and presumably Ulinich), have become a part of the post-Soviet Diaspora.

Petropolis is a multi-layered story that is both entertaining and thoughtful.

Highly reccomended (4.5 stars). L. Fleisig

Fun, insightful novel.......2007-02-26

Petropolis is a must read, especially if your family didn't arrive in the US on the Mayflower. Come to think of it, it's a must read even if they did.

Average customer rating:

Stilted and unsatisfying
Excellent exploration of cultural boundaries
loved almost all of it
Art is superb and story is well told
Overlooked treasure

Mail Order Bride
Mark Kalesniko
Manufacturer: Fantagraphics Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Fantagraphics | Publishers | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1560974109

Book Description

A powerful graphic novel about race, identity, stereotypes and love, nominated for "Best Graphic Novel" in the 2002 Firecracker Book Awards and nominated for Harvey and Eisner Comic Industry Awards. This adept look at life after a Korean mail order bride arrives to meet her Canadian husband defies anyone who has an opinion (but no experience) regarding the little-understood world of mail order marriages. Monty Wheeler, a pathetic, emasculated, 39-year-old virgin struggling with his own societal demons, expects Kyung Seo to fulfill his female Asian fantasy stereotype: domestic, obedient, hardworking and loyal. But Kyung, tall and accent-less, is much more human that Monty is ready to accept. Kyung soon finds, in addition to predictable dissatisfaction with her husband's inane expectations, outspoken inspiration in Eve Wong, a western-born Asian woman. Could Eve be Kyung's ticket to rebellious self-fulfillment, or do her actions not always ring true?

Through explorations of art, passion, identity and rebellion, the reader must ponder strength and cowardice while Kyung herself fights a potent war between independence and safety. Kalesniko adroitly juxtaposes Monty's non-sexual, juvenile obsessions with the character's objectification of Kyung, drawing a direct line between loneliness, consumerism, and how the need for order in one's life compromises the approach to matters of the heart. 264 pages b/w illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Stilted and unsatisfying.......2007-06-24

I had hopes when I ordered this comic from Amazon --- it had a lot of positive reviews, and the premise seemed like the sort of thing that would make a good story.

I was, however, sorely disappointed by Mail Order Bride. Its premise is certainly interesting, but the treatment is crude, stilted, and heavy-handed. There are long sequences of panels with no dialogue, just showing static scenes of the characters doing things. I've never been a fan of this technique, and it's especially bothersome here, where the panels are often small and the actions unremarkable. Plus, even when there is dialogue, it's often laboriously stretched over a bunch of tiny panels, so that a whole page can pass with almost nothing happening.

The dialogue itself is melodramatic, and the characters overall are irritatingly one-dimensional.

I should note here that, in general, I LIKE one-dimensional characters, when they're done right. Done right means that the characters have a single dimension which is parallel to the direction in which the stories moves; they are thin slices of people, revealing only what is relevant to the story. This leads to efficient, satisfying, writing.

Not so in Mail Order Bride. The characters are established quickly, and characteristics which were obvious to begin with are hammered home through dozens and dozens of pages. When the characters do change, the changes too are delivered with all the subtlety of an artillery bombardment.

And, as I've alluded to above, the book is simply too long. There isn't enough story to fill 261 pages, and large sections are boring, overextended, and predictable.

The book is not a total loss -- that's why I'm giving it 2 stars instead of 1. It has a few good moments, and several places that COULD have been good moments had they not been stretched to the breaking point. And although the pacing from panel to panel is plodding, the art itself is clear and appealing. Still, I don't recommend this book; it's not worth the money.

Excellent exploration of cultural boundaries.......2006-11-25

'Mail order bride' is a graphic novel focusing on the story of 39 year old comic book store owner Morris Wheeler, and a young Korean woman called Kyung who desires to move to Canada for a freer life, but the only way to do so is to marry a native man in a so called 'greencard' marriage.

Wheeler is a awkward and shy man, and lacks the self-confidence to ask women to date him. As a result, he is desperately lonely and sexually frustrated, and spends much of his time using pornographic movies and magazines, especially those of Asian women.

Wheeler seems to get the image Asian women are more docile, compliant, and obedient than native Canadian women, and less likely to reject him as inadequate. Seizing the opportunity, Wheeler takes the plunge and meets up with Kyung. The two soon marry, and their relationship begins.

It is soon obvious the marriage is a bad one. Loveless, and badly marred by Wheeler's severe lack of self esteem (even on his wedding night he can't consumate the marriage without the initiative of Kyung) and Kyung's growing desire for freedom, the couple soon start to drift apart. Kyung meets a native Chinese Canadian photographer, Ms Wong, who introduces her to a more liberal and relaxed attitude to life than she finds at home with Wheeler. Wong takes a number of nude photos of Kyung and introduces her to a Art history teacher and photographer, who encourages Kyung to develop her natural artistic gifts and to study. This Kyung all does, much to Wheeler's rage, which erupts into poisonous jealousy, envy, and irrational suspicion which destroys his fragile trust in Kyung, leading him to falsely accuse her of having affairs.

Things go downhill for the couple, with Kyung becoming increasingly rebellious against Wheeler's attempts to control her and stop her being 'unfaithful' (which she never is) and his pathetic attempts at emotional blackmail and manipulation. Sadly, Kyung's friends including Wong, blast him as pathetic, weak and 'balless', badly damaging Wheeler's already fragile psyche and self esteem, and accelerating the slide to disintegration.

Things come to a head when Kyung finds Wheeler's extensive asian pornography collection. Accusing him of never loving her and only wanting an object to gratify his lust, the two engage in a final conflict which tears both apart.

The story is a darkly tragic one, but very well told. The illustrations and characters are powerful and effective, and afterwards one is haunted by the destructive forces of self-hate, lust, selfishness, and manipulation which affect us all. The story is a disturbing indictment on relationships where the main aim of both people is not love and kindness but selfish ends to another means, achieved through using people as objects.

Kyung seems to come through as the hero of the story, though the ending is not a happy one by any means. Certainly in the end she turns out to be anything but what Wheeler desired and expected her to be, and shows Asian women are just as human and capable of independence and strength, as their Caucasian sisters. The story is also a stark warning to anyone who thinks cultural boundaries in a relationship can be easily overcome.

loved almost all of it.......2004-07-15

I loved every page of this book up to the great climax, which in my opinion strikes a false note to say the least. the character development is carefully done and plausible up to that point, where two genres seem to collide to the benefit of neither; I'm not familiar with Mark Kalesniko's previous work, but can imagine it to be in a more traditional "comic" style, where such scenes are somewhat more commonplace.

After reading this through I hasten to add that I was deeply impressed and moved by the rest of the book, the artwork as well as the story, and wouldn't want to put anyone off buying it; on the contrary, I seldom got such good value (in terms of time spent reading and re-reading) out of a graphic novel. Great book!

Art is superb and story is well told.......2003-05-23

most of the others reviewers here have told you all you'll need to know about the story of "Mail Order Bride" so I'll leave those details to them.
I'd like to talk about how good the art is in this 200+ page graphic novel. Mark first got my attention back with a mini-series he did called "Alex" which may or may not be available in trade paperback form. His expressive and economical art made me a fan from that first issue, and I eagerly await each new project.
"MOB" shows his skills with sequential art growing even more precise and detailed. He uses many repeated images and wordless panels to great effect, and captures more emotion in a look from his characters than the dialogue ever could.
I'm a big fan of fellow indie creator Andi Watson, and both he and Mark have an economy of line that is so refreshing in today's comics field. Andi's line is thick and minimalist, while Mark's is thin and detailed, but both pack so much feeling into their work that you'll soon be a fan too.
"MOB" is the best $$ I've spent in a comics shop in some time.

Overlooked treasure.......2002-10-01

A great piece of graphic storytelling. I'm a lifelong comic fan and take pride in keeping apprised of independent, critically acclaimed works (even if I don't read them all), and I was surprised when I never heard of Mail Order Bride. This book completely flew under many people's radars, I believe, and my opinion is that it would have sold much better with more attention.

The story and artwork are truly beautiful. Mark Kalesniko takes on a subject matter that is rife with stereotypes and cliches, and lends them depth and humanity. The story is moving, the individual panels are rich and emotion-invoking, and Kalesniko makes good use of the sequential panel structure to tell a story without words at many junctures. Most importantly, no character is two-dimensional. True, the premises surrounding each character are stereotypical, but Kalesniko eventually proves that he treasures his creations as individuals and not as plot devices.

Here, the reader is invited into the world of Monty Wheeler, a comic book store owner and lonely man, and Kyung Seo, his mail order bride from Korea. The reader accompanies them from their first meeting through their first awkward months together as husband and wife, observing as they initially try to do nothing but make the other happy. Slowly, their expectations of each other are not met and unhappiness and dissastisfaction results, because their expectations were artificially inflated by preconceived notions of each other.

Ultimately, the star of the book is Kyung, who comes into her own and discovers within herself a strong and independent woman, only to ultimately discover that this is not who she is. A tragic, if curious ending.

The only complaint I had about this book is that the author glosses over details that if included, would lend realism to his story, but inconvenience the plot. For example, Kyung speaks perfect English upon arrival in Canada. She chalks this up to always being good with languages. That's preposterous. Also, there's virtually no culture shock. Although her character is one that is trying to leave her past behind, I don't think that anyone completely can do that without feeling some longing or regret for their home culture. Especially in the case of an immigrant from East Asia to the U.S., the cultural differences are so vast, I don't see anyone adjusting as well as Kyung did. I don't know that the author appreciates this.

However, these small details were easy to overlook because of the touching story and rich characterization.

Average customer rating:

History was never this fun!

Wonderful History, Well Written! Very Good Read!

Not very historical

Informative and entertaining book

The perfect "history" book

Hearts West: True Stories of Mail-Order Brides on the Frontier
Chris Enss
Manufacturer: Two Dot
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Love & Romance | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | 19th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Days on the Road: Crossing the Plains in 1865: The Diary of Sarah Raymond Herndon

Covered Wagon Women, Volume 1: Diaries and Letters from the Western Trails, 1840-1849 (Covered Wagon Women)

Pioneer Doctor: The Story of a Woman's Work

Pioneer Women: The Lives of Women on the Frontier

Love Untamed: Romances of the Old West

ASIN: 076272756X

Book Description

Hearts West includes more than a dozen stories of courageous mail order brides and their exploits. Accompanying the text are actual advertisements placed by both women seeking husbands and men seeking brides.

Customer Reviews:

History was never this fun!.......2007-07-30

Chris Enss has done it again! Wonderful look at history. Her books are always a delight to read. Gets you hooked from the beginning. Great gift for a history buff in your life.

Wonderful History, Well Written! Very Good Read!.......2007-07-30

As a western history buff, I have found few authors that really get to the heart of the matter like this one has. This is a rare historically accurate work that is easy and fun to read. I will be buying more of her books and I highly recommend this one to you.

Not very historical.......2007-07-26

I thought this book would be more non-fiction historical research into the phenomenon of mail-order brides of the old West. It seemed to be a sort of contrived retelling of some primary research, including assertations of how people felt and acted that could not have been known by the author. Entertaining, yes, but serious and thoughtful? I think if you are looking for actual non-fiction work on mail-order brides, skip this book. It could definitely never be listed in a bibliography.

Informative and entertaining book.......2007-04-10

I purchased this book out of interest in the subject of mail order brides. The stories in the book are interesting and entertaining, and are often better than fiction. I highly recommend the book!

The perfect "history" book.......2006-07-31

I picked up this book at a museum bookstore in Arizona last December. I'm not usually one to read non-fiction, but I found this to be fascinating from the start. It hit home, too, when I read The Benton Brides which starts off in Ellicott City, Maryland. I live in Ellicott City and could envision it all very clearly which made the book all that much more real and special. It's very well written and a great book to learn about life during the pioneer days of the 1800's. I highly recommend it to everyone!

Average customer rating:

worth reading, but nothing special
Its a great book!
June
Very simple, yet sweet book
Christian romance

June (Brides of the West #2)
Lori Copeland
Manufacturer: Tyndale House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Romance | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

Regency | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Romance Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0842302689

Book Description

Lori Copeland continues her historical romance series, Brides of the West, with book 2, June. As June leaves her Michigan home to become the mail-order bride of a Washington State preacher, readers will learn the important lesson that God is ever faithful, even when we don't understand his plan or purpose in our lives. June delivers a lighthearted, entertaining story along with strong moral values and a Christian worldview.
Mail-order bride June Kallahan arrives in Seattle from Michigan to discover that her intended, Eli Messenger, the assistant to a famous evangelist named Isaac Inman, is ill. After he dies, June stays on to work at the local orphanage, where she realizes Inman is allowing the orphans to go without in order to build a showy tabernacle. A romance blooms between June and Parker Sentell, a friend of Eli’s, as they try to convince Inman of the errors of his thinking.

Download Description

Fiction: As June leaves her Michigan home to becme the mail-order bride of a Washington State preacher, she will learn the important lesson that Gos is ever faithful.

Customer Reviews:

worth reading, but nothing special.......2007-04-23

I love Lori Copeland's writing. She is quite talented. This story was entertaining, but predictable. Although it made me consider the cultural differences of the time, the characters didn't have much depth. It was worth the time to read just to learn more about the time period. But I wouldn't recommend it as a breathtaking romance.

Its a great book!.......2006-08-03

This is an excellent book as well as the others that go with the collection. It is very interesting and emotionally touching. I enjoyed it very much.

June.......2005-09-20

This was a well written book that shows God knows best and His timing is perfect. I recommend all the "Brides of the West" series.

Very simple, yet sweet book.......2005-06-27

What a delightful story with an excellent message! This was a very light read with simple characters, simple plot, and predictable ending. At times, I found Samantha's dialogue to be a bit repetitive and almost annoying. For those looking for a sweet story with a happy ending, June is perfect. However, if you're seeking a thought provoking book with complex characters and a suspenseful plot, this book probably isn't the best choice.

Christian romance.......2004-11-13

June Kallanhan answers an ad to be a mail order bride. She travels to Seattle to meet her intended, Eli Messenger, a young minister working for the famous preacher Isaac Inman. When she arrives in Seattle, June finds that Eli is ill and he dies a few days later. June thought that her calling from God was to be a good wife to Eli, but with his death she is now at a lost as to the purpose of her long journey. However, during the last few days of Eli's short life, June hears him talk about the Reverend Inman's dream of building a magnificent tabernacle. A dream shared by Eli. June believes that this is her mission and she sets out to raise funds for the building of the tabernacle.

Parker Sentell is the handsome brooding friend of Eli. He is in charge of the local timber felling company. He does not agree with the Reverend Inman's wishes to build the ornate tabernacle and belives that the money would be best spent on helping the local orphanage run by a weak little old lady. Parker does all he can to help the orphanage. Time again June comes across the not so friendly Parker and sparks fly. Slowly June comes to realise that Parker is right and that the local orphanage could really do with some help.

This was a tender love story. Parker comes across a a gruff man but with a good heart. June also has a good heart and does her best to help everyone, having much faith in God. However, she is torn between the needs of the orphans and the promise she made to help build the tabernacle. It's a nice change to read a sweet innocent love story devoid of any lusty scenes. A very good read indeed.

Lea Ling Tsang

The Rancher's Mail Order Bride (Harlequin American Romance, No. 829)

Average customer rating:

Mail Ordered Laughs
Loved it, Loved it, Loved it.

The Rancher's Mail Order Bride (Harlequin American Romance, No. 829)
Mindy Neff
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

Harlequin American Romance | Series | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Romance Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0373168306
Release Date: 2000-06-15

Customer Reviews:

Mail Ordered Laughs.......2007-05-07

Wyatt Malone has just met his Mail Order Bride. Except he didn't ask for one.

Faced with an aging population, the well meaning town elders place an ad in a magazine asking for women and children to come to their town and help put some more vitality and youth. Hannah Richmond and her son come for Wyatt.

Niether Wyatt or Hannah know of the mens' plans until they are faced with a very uncomfortable situation.

The Rancher's Mail Ordered Bride is sweet and funny, a book for a long trip or just relaxing over a few days. This is the first of a series of books for the series of Bachelors of Shotgun Ridge.

Loved it, Loved it, Loved it........2000-07-07

I couldn't put this book down. I have never read this author before but she was fantastic. She made me laugh constantly. All the characters were wonderful, especially the little boy. I can't wait till the next bachelor of Shotgun Ridge comes out. Well written and just plain fun.

Secrets of the Heart (Mail Order Bride #1)

Average customer rating:

Money talks, but truth is louder and more lasting....
Not a very believable book
First Time Lacy reader
Secrets of the Heart
three-star book; five-star disappointment

Secrets of the Heart (Mail Order Bride #1)
Joanna Lacy
Manufacturer: Multnomah
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1576732789
Release Date: 1998-06-29

Book Description

Kathleen O'Malley Stallworth a mail order bride? Not likely! But the Lord works in mysterious ways. Her parents and siblings died in the great Chicago fire; her husband was killed by a mugger; now her fabulously wealthy in-laws have taken her daughter Megan from her, claiming she's not fit to be a mother. In a newspaper ad for a mail order bride, Kathleen sees a chance to seek revenge on the Stallworth family. Instead, her westward adventure transforms her world and restores her faith. She returns to Chicago to fight for Megan but soon discovers God has prepared a victory she could never have imagined.

Customer Reviews:

Money talks, but truth is louder and more lasting...........2006-08-15

This mail order bride story begins with a strange set of very sad events. Kathleen loses her whole family in a housefire. Destitute, she drops out of her last year of high school and becomes a cleaning woman. As predicted, the son of the millionaire family she works for falls madly in love with her over the strong objections of his snooty parents. A marriage and a child later, the parents accept everyone but Kathleen. Granddaughter Meggie is the apple of their eyes, and when Peter is killed violently, they determine to take their granddaughter away from her mother. They and their money succeed with the use of bribes to the judge. They arrange for Kathleen to have none of Peter's funds and she is forced out of her home and into poverty and loses her child as well. Heartbroken and destitute, Kathleen moves to a room and works for several people, living in pure squalor. Meantime the snooty, rich conniving parents have Meggie. Devastated, grieving and worn out, Kathleen learns of a mail order bride ad, and she answers and finds herself traveling from Chicago to Nevada to become the bride of a gold miner just getting started. However, he has a small son Caleb, who needs a mother. While Kathleen is a loving mother, this makes her miss Meggie even more and she is obsessed with getting enough funds to fight her wealthy ex-inlaws for custody. God blesses the efforts of her husband, and within months they are millionaires and have the funds to fight. What they find when they return to Chicago contains huge surprises, a few teary moments, and the reader will understand this is, indeed a different ending to another book in the series of Mail Order Brides. Thanks Lacys for another page turner.

Not a very believable book.......2003-01-13

Personally, when I read a fiction book, I like to be able to believe that the people and events in the book COULD be true even though I know it is fiction. This book was a big disappointment in that respect. I really don't recommend reading it if you want to read really good historical fiction.

First of all, the authors took way too long to develop the background of the story; the background actually ended up being a detraction rather than a support for the plot, because later the authors had to make up for lost time by rushing through the really important parts.

Second, I agree with the reviewer who said that putting Mrs. O'Leary in the book was stretching it a bit. I think the book would have been better if the authors were content to use a historical setting, instead of going all out like they did and trying to put famous people in as buddies of the main characters.

The third, and most annoying, reason that this book is not exactly believable, enjoyable Christian fiction is that the characters are not at all consistent. I feel that not only did the authors not stop to figure out just how their characters' personalities should be, they also tried to write about individuals and classes of people they don't know much about. For instance, take the rich and snobbish Maria Stallworth. When Kathleen is looking for a job, Maria warmly takes her in, goes above and beyond the call of duty to help her, and even calls Kathleen "dear." Definitely a sweet and charming lady! But, when she gets mad at Kathleen later, she turns into a cold, cruel, sneering snob- and pretty much stays that way for the rest of the book. Talk about erratic! No, the characters really aren't well developed at all, and therefore it is difficult to really like any of them.

This is really only a good book if you want a light read to pass the time, and nothing else will do. For that purpose, it is amusing enough. But I don't recommend it for someone looking for interesting, believable Christian fiction.

First Time Lacy reader.......2002-07-10

I bought this book because it was cheap and I wanted to try new authors (besides Lori Wick). This book was an easy read, a nice escape from the reality of school and work. I will buy other books by Al & Joanna Lacy because I think they have potential. However, I did not care for the development of this story. In the beginning of the book, I kept wondering about the sequence of events. By the end of the book, I still wondered about the time spent on the fire danger and how it all fit into the plot. I would have liked to see more of the book written about Kathleen and Tom instead of so much time spent on the fire danger and her time before becoming a mail order bride. The step son seemed a little too mature for a 6 year old. I felt it was unrealistic how quickly he began calling Kathleen Mommy, especially considering his strong feelings against calling her Mommy when they first met. The way they forgave and helped the Stallworth family was encouraging...I have to wonder if I would be able to forgive so easily and give so much to the people treated me so badly. I recommend this book if someone is looking for an easy read to escape from reality for a time.

Secrets of the Heart.......2000-08-10

Basic love story with too much religious emphasis. Unlikely ending....I couldn't even finish it.

three-star book; five-star disappointment.......2000-06-04

Al & Joanna Lacy are very prolific Christian fiction writers, and I have been looking forward to reading their work. Secrets of the Heart was such a big disappointment, however. Although the basic plot is imaginative and the characters are endearing, the entire book was lacking in several ways. First, the authors took half the book just to give the background to the major storylines: Kathleen being reunited with her daughter and Tom and Kathleen finding happiness together. The background leading up to Kathleen's problems was just too involved and detailed, so much so that the first part of the story detracted from the rest of it. Second, the "meat" of the story was sketchy and left a lot of gaps. Perhaps if the authors had not spent so much time developing the background that this part of the story would be better. Also, Kathleen and Tom's characters were not as well-rounded as they could have been. Tom especially is not a particularly interesting character. It was hard for me to empathize with him when I knew virtually nothing about him. Finally, the ending just sews up all to neatly. Even though I was glad of the way it ended, a lot of gaps in the story and "fast forwarding" occurred before I got there. On the plus side, the lesson that Kathleen learns about forgiveness and God's love is the major strength of this book. Secrets of the Heart should probably best be categorized as young adult fiction, but even teenagers would have trouble with parts of this book.

Average customer rating:

Better than expected
Spunky tomboy doesn't know her place
Copeland's "Glory" Packed With Adventure & Romance
Young Readers
More Great Reading

Glory (Brides of the West #4)
Lori Copeland
Manufacturer: Heartquest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0842337490

Book Description

The fourth book in Lori Copeland's popular historical romance series about mail-order brides. Glory, a young woman whose only relative has just died, joins up with a wagon train of mail-order brides en route to Colorado. Lively adventures, valuable lessons, and a heartwarming romance soon follow.

Customer Reviews:

Better than expected.......2007-04-12

I was a little worried after I bought this book and then read the reviews. There were some reviews that said this book was awful but I actually loved it. There were times when I wondered, "how is this going to turn out?" but I was really surprised at the end how great the story was. I think that this series may be even better than the first three. Highly recommended.

Spunky tomboy doesn't know her place.......2002-04-06

Glory, an orphan of sorts herself, flees a disagreeable home and town, only to find she really doesn't fit in much anyplace. After Poppy dies, she is sought by wicked Uncle Amos. Fleeing, she has to defend her virtue, bearing the guilt of what she left behind. If there is anything wagon master Lincoln does not need, it is another girl to have to care for and transport to his final destination. Stubborn, unlearned and unkempt, Glory is determined to make it on her own. Mystery, action and romance happen in spite of Glory, certainly not because of her.

Copeland's "Glory" Packed With Adventure & Romance.......2001-03-23

After the wonderful story of "Hope" I tore into "Glory" like a hungry wolf tears into its prey. Glory, a sheltered mountain girl, is forced to build a life on her own after her Poppy dies. With a bagful of gold and no change of clothes, she sets out in search of a new life. Far too naive for the cold world before her, she ends up on the run from a greedy uncle who wants her gold -- and who will kill her to get it. When she manages to latch on (however unwillingly) to a wagonneer named Jackson and a group of teenaged mail order brides, things REALLY get interesting. In her travels and adventures, Glory grows into a beautiful young woman with an unshakeable faith -- but will her faith be enough to win the heart of the handsome wagonneer? Copeland's "Glory" was glorious. This one's a MUST READ.

Young Readers.......2001-01-16

GREAT FOR YOUNG READERS, I have read all of the Brides series. This one was wonderful. P L E A S E write more books like this.