Josephine Dooley's plan to escape her uncle, who wants to
marry her off in lieu of a gambling debt, isn't
straightforward. She aims to disguise herself as a boy,
join the Pony Express as a rider in order to travel, and
marry herself off as a mail-order bride, just until she
reaches twenty-one. What a wonderful heroine. Jo arrives in
a wintry landscape to meet her prospective husband Thomas,
who has no idea that his cheeky brother advertised for a
bride in his name. PONY EXPRESS CHRISTMAS BRIDE is the
latest in a lively series which I've been following,
centering on a family of six adopted boys.
So far each book has been based on a different ranch which
serves the Pony Express, providing horses and riders as
well as food and lodgings. Thomas and Philip Young, adopted
brothers, live in Dove Creek, Wyoming in 1860. Snow is
falling even in October and they are managing to keep the
mail going, so far. It's a lonely life and their good
neighbour, a respectable lady called Hazel, agrees they
should be wed - but the new arrival Jo is going to abide
with her until the day. Having seen no reason to trust men
to date, Jo is fine with that, while Thomas is surprised
that anyone should want him as a husband.
The basic wedding is the start of the young couple's
relationship, but as winter marches closer and housework
occupies Jo, while Thomas has to keep the mail going, they
start to bond over shared concerns. True to his agreement
with Jo, Thomas is keeping to a name-only marriage. I
actually found this hard to swallow as men were more
direct, and shorter of female company, in those days, and I
could easily see Thomas insisting on his rights. As this is
an inspirational book we accept the message that a physical
relationship should only be shared between people who are
genuine friends and lovers. I enjoyed the barn dance while
Jo's uncle, when he finally arrives, is not the only
villain of the piece. Again, I thought the more sympathetic
characters are far too accepting of having been robbed of
hard-earned money.
With period Christmas preparations and wise counsel, this
snowy tale PONY EXPRESS CHRISTMAS BRIDE by Rhonda Gibson
will be enjoyed by romance fans of any age. Saddle up, I'm
off to town.
Mail-order bride
Josephine Dooley's trip West was supposed to end in marriage
to her intended groom—not with the discovery that he hadn't
actually placed the bridal ad! Now her only choice is to
convince Pony Express rider Thomas Young to wed her anyway
to save her from her scheming uncle.
A bride
shouldn't be a surprise package, and when Thomas finds out
about his meddling brother's ruse, he plans to send his
would-be wife packing. However, when he realizes Josephine
desperately needs his help and a marriage of convenience is
the only way he can protect her, he vows to become the
husband she needs. But he quickly learns that it will be
hard to keep his new bride at arm's length…because Josephine
is his perfect match.
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