Long and Short Reviews welcomes Linda Broday who is celebrating the upcoming release of Saving the Mail Order Bride , the newest book in the Outlaw Mail Order Brides series. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post for a chance to win a copy of the book.
When the West was wild
And man’s law favored the few
These extraordinary women could be found…
…in the heart of an outlaw.He may be a wanted man, but all outlaw Jack Bowdre ever desired was a second chance. Now he’s on his way to jail, completely unaware that his unexpected—and unexpectedly beautiful—traveling companion is none other than Nora Kane…his mail order bride.
It’s too bad Nora doesn’t know Jack is her groom-to-be. All she sees is a scoundrel. But when their stagecoach crashes and the truth comes spilling out, they’re suddenly left to fend for themselves—and each other. The longer they’re together, the stronger their feelings grow. Hounded by desperate men bent on doing them harm, Nora and Jack will do whatever it takes to find their happily ever after…but first, they’ll have to shake the devil from their trail.
Enjoy an Excerpt
For Nora there were lots worse things than being shackled to Jack Bowdre. Why she trusted this outlaw was hard to explain yet instinct told her he wasn’t a threat—not to her. She gave Jack’s rugged profile a sideways glance. He seemed deep in thought the way he stared into the distance.
Maybe how to get rid of her?
Panic swept up her spine. What if he got their handcuffs unlocked and left? How would she survive?
He rose. “I need to find a good rock so I can break this chain. I had planned to shoot out one of the links, but without bullets, the gun is useless.”
“You can break these iron links apart with a rock?”
“Planning to.”
“Can’t you use the butt of the Colt?” That sounded logical to her.
“That’ll damage it and it won’t fire.” He said that like it was something everyone should know.
“But we have no cartridges so why keep something that doesn’t work?” Lord help this poor outlaw.
Jack stopped and stared as though she’d suggested he gnaw through the iron links with his bare teeth. He inhaled a slow breath and seemed to be…counting? “Even if a gun has no ammunition, it still has plenty of worth. If someone corners us, I can still point it at someone. I’m very good at making men believe they’re about to die.”
“Oh. I guess that’s why you’re the outlaw and I’m…a bride you kept secrets from.”
The way color flooded his face said he didn’t appreciate her remark. “Over there.” He pointed to a group of rocks that seemed to have been stacked on purpose.
She allowed him to pull her along, and he chose a hefty one, about nine by six inches. Although he had very large palms, she still had no idea how he’d lift the makeshift sledgehammer and slam it onto the chain with one hand. But with his inability to accept criticism, she thought it prudent to hold her tongue.
Stretching the six-inch chain across a boulder, Jack lifted the rock. The mighty blow jarred her, sending vibrating waves along the chain and stinging her wrist. Plus, the impact didn’t even put the slightest dent in the iron. He slipped his free arm out of the duster sleeve and tried again. Nothing. He unbuttoned his shirt, tugging at the collar, and Nora sucked in a breath at the sight of that broad chest with rippling muscles.
My oh my!
To run her hands over that. She’d always assumed men who lived by the gun would be too thin, too pale, their bodies too…standard. After all, what work did an outlaw do other than ride his horse and shoot?
Apparently, Jack did physical work of some kind. She tried not to stare, but her eyes refused to obey.
Over and over he pounded the chain and with each strike, she flinched, dodging the flying chips of stone. Sweat poured off him despite the cool day. Frustrated curses slipped from his mouth, although he restrained himself far better than she expected.
“I have a hairpin if you want to try picking the locks.” That idea made more sense to her.
“I’ll get this in a minute. It’s stubborn, that’s all. I have to hit it just right.”
The sun rose higher, he kept working until the rock finally broke in half…but the chain held.
He met her gaze. “Failure is just the opportunity to begin again. We’re not licked.”
Nora cocked her head, catching a faint sound. “Someone’s coming.”
“Hurry.” Jack took her hand and led her down into a ravine, where they flattened against the side. “Don’t make a sound.”
Her heart hammered in her ears. Or was that his heartbeat? He put his free arm around her and pulled her against all that brawn. The scent of the wild Texas land melded with leather and manly sweat, and Nora could do nothing but sag against him as limp as warm jelly.
His mouth was mere inches from hers.
Perspiration trickled between her breasts, and she could barely draw a shaky breath into her lungs. No one had a right to be so rugged, so enticing, so…so sensual.
What would it be like to feel his lips on hers? Her pulse raced.
He shifted a little, knitting his brows, frowning down at her. Shoot! Had she spoken aloud?
The empty Colt tucked in his waist pressed into the area above her belly, reminding her they were in grave danger. In truth, she was having trouble forming a complete thought.
The hoofbeats became louder until the rider was right above them. The horse snorted with impatience. Other than the horse, all was silent.
Good. That meant only one person, not a whole posse.
Jack removed his hat, gripped the empty gun, and took a look. The suspense proved too much for Nora. She raised on tiptoe to peek and froze.
The horseman was the man she’d caught following her in Fort Worth. The white of her discarded bustle bulged from his saddlebag.
She ducked, pressing the trembling length of her body tightly against Jack. How could the tracker have found her? If he’d seen the stagecoach wreck, he’d put two and two together.
Jack’s hard gaze followed the man as he rode on. “Who was that? You recognized him.”
Careful. The lies would pile up on top of each other until she couldn’t keep them straight.
Her eyes widened. “No one here in Texas would have absolutely any interest in me. I came to marry you, Jack, and I have to say it’s been a rather arduous trip. If I could just go back to the moment when I snapped the marshal’s handcuff on me and threw the key I would.”
She smiled brightly, refusing to let the outlaw’s dark scowl worry her.
“We’ll have to talk about the marrying part, Nora.”
About the Author:
At a young age, Linda Broday discovered a love for storytelling, history, and anything pertaining to the Old West. After years of writing romance, it’s still tall rugged cowboys that spark her imagination. A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Linda has won many awards, including the prestigious National Readers’ Choice Award and the Texas Gold. She resides in the Texas Panhandle where she’s inspired every day
Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, IndieBound, or BAM.
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“She was all of his tomorrows, his forever. His always. His life.”
There is nothing better than opening up your favorite authors’s book and knowing your about to be swept away into an amazing journey!!
Ms. Linda Broday has done it again. Just when I think she couldn’t outdo herself from her last book, she goes and sets the bar even higher with Saving The Mail Order Bride.
Jack Bowdre and Nora Kane’s love story is a fast and wild ride to the alter.
Both are running from their past, both bring baggage to their marriage, but they’re true to their vow’s and never back down from their enemies.
They both have a heart overflowing with love and aren’t afraid of giving it to two orphaned children in need of a home.
This book truly melted my heart.
I laughed so hard at the antics and situations they are thrust into and the uplifting humor they continue to display toward each other.
As I’ve said before, Ms. Broday’s books are timeless and will weave themselves into your heart and soul for eternity.
“She met his gray eyes, the color resembling a dove’s wing in the light. “Always as long as it’s with you.” Then she touched her lips to his ever so softly.
Jack Bowdre was her saving grace, her light in the darkest hours.”
“She was his lifeblood. His every Breath.”
Linda Broday has done it again. Her books are timeless!!
Hi Tonya, thank you so much for coming over and for your touching review. I’m so happy that you liked Jack and Nora and laughed at their adventures. I chuckled quite a bit myself when I wrote this.
I absolutely love this series! Love you too sweet lady! #MSWARRIORS #favoriteHWRauthors #giveawaysareawesome
Hi Stephanie, thank you for dropping by! It’s great seeing my warrior buddy. We share a disease and we share a love of books.
My review of this awesome book:
Another great book by Linda Broday and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see what was happening in the town of Devil’s Crossing, now known as Hope’s Crossing, and catching up with characters from the first book in this series. Hope’s Crossing is a town started by a group of outlaws that no longer want to be out on the run. They just want what most people want, a place to call home, friends and if at all possible to start a family.
Linda Broday knows how to draw in a reader in the first pages of her books and keep you wanting to know what’s going to happen next. It takes a strong woman to love and stay with a wanted outlaw and Jack Bowdre finds himself in handcuffs sitting next to a U.S. marshall, in a stage coach, before his Mail-order-bride even arrives. This story begins with a crash, the crash of the stagecoach, and Jack finds himself with another chance at freedom when the marshall doesn’t survive.
This book has a lot of humor mixed in with its adventures, gun battles and the struggles in the lives of these wanted men and other town members. How can there not be humor when Jack, an outlaw ends up handcuffed to an Eastern woman all dressed up in her finery that includes a hat with feathers and a birds nest. This is the wild west and Texas after all. All they have is the clothes on their backs, chained together mere inches apart, on the run, and it won’t take long for it to be known the stagecoach crashed and a felon is on the loose. A posse will be on their heels soon and it appears that a man is also after the woman handcuffed to him. That woman is Leonora Kane, Nora Kane, the woman that is Jack’s intended bride. Can they really build a life together when he’s a wanted man and someone wants her dead?
Linda Broday has spun another great adventure that is full of surprises, has you rooting for the outlaws and people of Hope’s Crossing and wanting some “lawmen”, “businessmen” and other “questionable men” to find their deaths. It’ll make you question who should be called an outlaw in this period of time. Great read!
Awesome review Ms. Stephanie! ???
Wow, such a lovely tribute to Jack and Nora’s story! Thank you so much, Stephanie. I’m blowing kisses.