Land Run Mail Order Brides

Series · 12

books · 2022

By Allyson Carter, Annee Jones, Linda Carroll-Bradd, and more

Books in series

Joshua's Bride

2022

As arable farmland grows scarce, the United States opens up former sections of Indian Territory for homesteading. Those who want to claim land must make a run for it. Should she claim her own land when he has a claim on her heart? Rose Calloway feels guilty about living off her sister’s meager schoolmarm’s wages. In spite of taking in sewing, she sees little future for marriage in a town where people are still struggling from the latest economic depression. Being the younger sister of the formidable Marigold doesn’t help attract suitors, either. She responds to a matrimonial advertisement, and after corresponding for several months, sees great promise for her future with Joshua Kent. Joshua Kent, landless and employed as a farrier, sees promise in the land run planned for the Cherokee Strip in Oklahoma Territory. Knowing once he claims his acres, he will need a wife, he places a matrimonial advertisement. He soon decides Rose Calloway is the woman he wishes to marry. However, once he realizes there will be far more applicants than there is available land, he warns Rose he can only marry if he is successful claiming his own plot. Marigold, realizing the land run will bring new families to a new settlement, sees there will be a need for teachers and a chance to achieve her dreams. She decides to make her own land claim and insists Rose claim a plot next to hers. As Marigold prepares to leave for Oklahoma, Rose—homeless unless she marries or goes with her sister—holds a ticket for a land claim in one hand and a letter from Joshua Kent in the other stating, if he is unsuccessful claiming land, he cannot offer marriage. What will she do now?

Bolton's Bride

2022

She’s making a run toward hope, love, and family and she’s not letting go. Orphaned as a young girl, Ella longs for a life she’s only read about in books. To escape a desperate situation, she heads west as a mail-order bride, narrowing her choice of spouse to three brothers, a millwright, a businessman, and a horse trainer, all searching for a marriage of convenience which will provide the inheritance that will finance the family’s business venture in Oklahoma. Newspapers claim the unchartered territory is a land where streams flow with milk and the heavens rain down a supply of honey. Will her road lead to the Promised Land?

Henrik's Pursuit

2022

He'll race for her dreams and her heart. Madeline Doyle’s imagination soars as high as the plots in her novels. She’s tired of her destitute life in Boston and seeks adventure in the wild west. Not only that, she can’t abide scraping by a moment longer to keep her and her three younger sisters alive. Marrying a rich man could solve so many of their obstacles. She sets out to claim her dreams and to help her family; if that involves answering a mail-order bride ad, so be it. Madeline arrives in the Oklahoma territory days before a great land-run race is to take place. But she all too soon discovers that she misinterpreted the letter from the man she set out to marry. A poor man working for the railroad, no matter how handsome, just won’t do. Henrik Evans is instantly enchanted with the spirited woman who has come to be his bride, but when she finds out he hasn’t a penny to his name, she rejects his offer of marriage. With his pride bruised, he attempts to forget about the beautiful woman, but when circumstances keep throwing them together, he can’t deny his growing affection for her. Out of options, he strikes a bargain with her, instantly capturing her interest. If claiming her dream piece of land is the way to claim her heart, Henrik will race against any obstacle to find it. But when an interloper with his pockets full of gold overhears Henrik's bargain, he too wants in. And to Henrik’s great dismay, Madeline all too quickly agrees. Will Henrik’s pursuit be enough to win her heart, or will another claim it first?

Brewster's Baby

2022

He wants her, needs her. But, will he ever find a way to express his emotions to her? Michael Brewster needs a wife as he sets up a new business. That’s all! No complications or tender feelings will soften his hard heart or get in the way of his plans to build an empire. Hetty Fields arrives by train on the very day of the first Oklahoma Land Run. She’s a day late, upsetting her groom's perfect schedule. Add to that, she does something to him that threatens to awaken his sleeping emotions. And then he sees the baby… Why didn’t she warn him about the baby? How can he want a woman he doesn’t entirely trust? If you enjoy sweet romance set against historical events with light suspense, this book is one for you to read!

Rachael's Claim

2022

As arable farmland grows scarce, the United States opens up former sections of Indian Territory for homesteading. Those who want to claim land must make a run for it. Rachael, wearing trousers and sitting astride a spirited horse, pulled the floppy hat lower to disguise her face. She could ride and shoot, but she’d also need nerve and luck. The newspaper estimated over a hundred thousand men and a few foolhardy women would rush into Oklahoma territory in wagons, on horses, bicycles, and by foot when the cannon boomed at noon. Even a train, packed with people ready to jump off, waited for the signal. The Oklahoma Land Run of 1893 held only forty-two thousand plots, so more than half the hopeful settlers would be disappointed. Rachael could not be in that group. Jess Hunter thrashed with alternating chills and fever and called for water. When he received no response, he struggled to sit up. Rachael was gone. His friends had ribbed him about writing for a mail-order bride. He should have listened. Jess looked around the shack. His claim stake was gone! He struggled to his feet and whistled for his horse. No familiar whinny answered, and Dandy wasn’t in the pasture. Was she a horse thief too? He vowed to track her down—just before he passed out.

Aiyana’s Restitution

2022

As arable farmland grows scarce, the United States opens up former sections of Indian Territory for homesteading. Those who want to claim land must make a run for it. Aiyana doesn’t trust anyone who’s not part of her Cherokee tribe. So, when she answers a mail-order bride ad, she doesn’t expect to grow to care for a white man. Get in, mess up his plans to build a home on their land, and get out. Except for stolen moments between them have her re-thinking her revenge. Edward longs for a family of his own, even if they don’t know one another. He sees the hurt in her eyes and wants to replace the sadness with love. As they work together to build a home, he falls in love with his bride in a way he never expected. He’d protect her and him at any costs, so when danger comes can they survive the attack?

Hattie's Longing

2022

As arable farmland grows scarce, the United States opens up former sections of Indian Territory for Homesteading. Those who want to claim land must make a run for it. Widowed and with a son to support, Hatti Duffy feels she has no alternative but to answer an advertisement for a wife. Oscar Blue wants, no needs, a wife to successfully homestead in the new Oklahoma territory. Hatti Duffy answers his ad and can arrive in time for the Land Run. Emotions run high as everyone rushes off to find their homestead. Oscar has mapped out where he would like to settle, and he slowly plods his way past the others and picks a parcel that abuts the newest home of the Cherokee people. Hatti makes peace with her new husband and their Indian neighbors as they help each other over and over again. Can their marriage survive when Running Bear requests a considerable sacrifice from Oscar? Can the fragile intimacy that has begun between Oscar and Hatti survive three months of separation? Will her heart’s longings be finally satisfied with this new and unorthodox marriage? Will they love forever and always?

Priscilla's Stake

2022

“At twelve o'clock on Monday, April 22d, the resident population of Guthrie was nothing; before sundown it was at least ten thousand. In that time streets had been laid out, town lots staked off, and steps taken toward the formation of a municipal government.” March 1889 Franklin Sinclair, wealthy Chicago mine investor, has had enough. It’s time for his vain and spoiled daughter, Priscilla, to grow up. After refusing every suitable man who might have her as a bride, he declares that if she wants to see a penny of her inheritance, she must go to Oklahoma to stake a claim on his behalf in the upcoming land run. Otherwise, he’ll marry her off to the first old man who expresses an interest in her before he retires to San Francisco. Priscilla, horrified but determined to get what she wants, agrees to the deal. However, what happens when she discovers that poor and pesky – yet annoyingly handsome – Ladd Mabry, also plans to head out west to participate in the land run? Ladd Mabry works in a dirty Chicago factory after his father was killed in an explosion while mining for silver in California. He blames the mine’s owner, Franklin Sinclair, for not ensuring safe working conditions at the mine. Since he can’t get close enough to the man to demand restitution – or at least an apology - he’ll settle for his pampered (albeit gorgeous) daughter, Priscilla. Irritated after she blows him off, Ladd decides to leave Chicago altogether and start over out west. But who should he then discover on the very same train bound for Oklahoma?

Rosie's Gamble

2022

As arable farmland grows scarce, the United States opens up former sections of Indian Territory for homesteading. Those who want to claim land must make a run for it. After seeing her mother die in childbirth, Rosabelle Ardmore decides to become a doctor. Her self-funded education takes longer than she’d hoped. When she returns to the job promised upon her graduation, she discovers the hometown doctor has died. His replacement has no use for a female doctor. Nor do two other offices where she applied. Rosie takes a chance on answering an ad for a mail-order bride for a man intent on the Cherokee Strip Land Run. Surely, people populating a new town will accept medical care wherever they can get it. Beck Shepherd returned empty-handed from the 1889 Oklahoma land run. Trying it alone didn’t work. He vows to win a plot this time, but he needs a partner to achieve his dream of opening a mercantile. The easiest way is to arrange for a wife so he places an ad in a matrimonial newsletter. Ideally, level-headed Beck would like more time to decide, but Rosie’s two letters reveal the heart of a woman as determined as he is for a new start. But her bold plan for securing a claim might be the act that tears them apart…forever.

#10

Lily's Luck

2022

Lily O’Halloran is the eldest daughter of Boston elite, and so outspoken she has as yet to find a suitable husband. At twenty-six, she’s considered a spinster. Unlike her more docile younger siblings, Lily longs for adventure. Excitement. With her parents breathing down her neck to accept a proposal from a man she abhors, Lily decides to take matters into her own hands. An advertisement for Miller Matrimonial Services outlining their search for mail-order brides for the upcoming land run sparks Lily’s interest. Surely, considering marriage to a total stranger can’t be any worse than the horrid man her mother has chosen for her. Using a portion of her trust fund, Lily books rail passage west to Wichita. Brendan (Bren) MacKinnon is eager to begin a new life away from the Kansas farm where he was raised by a beloved uncle. When his uncle passes, Bren sees this as his chance to do what he’s always wanted to do... become a cattleman rather than a wheat farmer. He sells the farm and all that comes with it to fund his dream of setting out on the next Oklahoma Land Run to claim himself a proper homestead. However, he knows the best chance he has of making a go of it is to have someone by his side. A partner. Maybe even a wife. Will the cowboy and the socialite be a match made in Heaven, or the worst decision either has ever made?

#11

Fallyn's Fortitude

2022

Nothing is ever free, and love is hard to find. Or is it? Fallyn is a headstrong girl with the fortitude to make her dream of owning her own land a reality. When she hears of the land run in Oklahoma she is determined to get hers, and willing to travel across the country to make it happen. All she had to do was figure out how to get there, and she would, even if it meant answering an ad to be a mail order bride. Only problem- her new husband wants to treat her in the old ways and she wants to be his equal. The stubbornness in her isn’t giving in to that way of thinking. Jackson Hughes was brought up in the traditions of doing whatever was necessary to take care of his family. He lost his father at a young age and had to grow up quickly. When his mother died he was left to care for his young sister. Doing the right thing didn’t change his dreams of travel and his own land. When he thought it wouldn’t happen, fate stepped in. His sister married, leaving him free to go. Fate lent a hand once more when his ad for a mail order bride was answered. There was one thing left to do- load his wagon and point it in the direction of Oklahoma, where land was being given away for free. Will their matching dreams of land and family bring them together, or will stubbornness and tradition tear them apart?

#12

Siobhan's Quest

2022

_As arable farmland grows scarce, the United States opens up former sections of Indian Territory for homesteading. Those who want to claim land must make a run for it. Will a thin, homely woman find love or disappointment when she answers a mail-order bride advertisement from Oklahoma?_ Siobhan Ryan has always lived in poverty. She and her brother had to fend for themselves in New York ever since her mother’s passing. But on a whim, Siobhan answers an advertisement for a mail-order bride from Oklahoma. Though she soon finds herself falling for the man writing the letters, she fears answering his proposal, since she can’t imagine that her thin, sickly frame could appeal to any man as great as Sean Murray. And besides, she hasn’t yet told her brother about the advertisement, much less the proposal. But when she strikes up the courage to tell him, her brother goes missing… Sean Murray and his father traveled west, working on the railroad—until his father’s near fatal accident. Now he’s caring for his father in Oklahoma City and puts an advertisement in for a mail-order bride do battle his loneliness. But when he finally proposes to her, all correspondence stops. To make matters worse, he’s running out of money, and no one in Oklahoma City wants to hire an Irishman. And hundreds of Irishmen are sitting in a camp just outside of town, all waiting for the upcoming Land Run. So, Sean comes up with a plan to help himself and the other Irishmen there, but soon it looks like his plan is for naught and all his dreams of having a wife, a property and employment are falling to pieces at the seams. How will he recover from each heartbreaking disappointment?

Authors

Allyson Carter

Author · 5 books

Allyson is a best-selling author who writes in the romantic suspense, romance, and suspense genres, sometimes a sweet and historical romance creeps up as well. In her books, readers will find emotionally stirring storylines, as well as a compelling mixture of suspense mixed in. Even in her sweet romances, there's a burn and sizzle. She resides in Indiana with her family, When not spending time with her family, you can find her knitting, and watching perhaps a few way too many suspense, true crime, and reality television shows.

Annee Jones

Author · 32 books

Author Annee Jones loves to write all things romance, fantasy, cozy mystery, & more. She is passionate about writing stories where dreams come true and love wins in the end! Animal friends, elements of suspense, and appendices with fun facts manage to appear in all her works regardless of genre. Professionally, Annee works as a disability counselor where she helps her clients navigate through complex medical and legal systems while rediscovering their wholeness in Spirit. Subscribe to Annee’s newsletter to stay up to date on new releases, sneak peeks, author parties, and exclusive giveaways: https://www.anneejones.com/newsletter Find Annee’s books here: Annee’s website: https://www.anneejones.com/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B08KSFSHX1 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/authorannee... Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/annee... Want to join Annee’s private Facebook reader group, Annee's Angels? Request your spot now: https://www.facebook.com/groups/annee... You can also connect with Annee on her FB author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnneeJ...

Linda Carroll-Bradd

Author · 43 books

As a child, Linda was often found lying on her bed reading about characters having exciting adventures in places far away. Upon reaching a landmark birthday, she decided to write one of those romances she loved so much. Easier said than done. Perseverance paid out and twelve years later, she received her first call from a publisher and a confession story was published. Now Linda writes heartwarming contemporary and historical stories with a touch of humor, and many have a tie to her previous home of Texas. Linda enjoys writing from her cabin in the mountains among the cedar and pines with her husband of 34 years and their two much-loved dogs.

Kimberly Grist

Author · 21 books

Kimberly Grist is married to her high school sweetheart, Nelson, who is a pastor in Griffin, Georgia. She and her husband have three adult sons, one with Down syndrome, and she has a passion to encourage others in offering a special needs ministry in the church. Kim is also a grandmother and proud to be a child of the living God. She feels called to help and encourage others and to share experiences both good and bad in order to be the witness that God would have us to be. Kim has enjoyed writing since she was a young girl, however, began writing her first novel in 2017. Inspired by so many things life has to offer one of which includes her oldest son’s diagnosis of cancer she finds it especially gratifying to write a happy ending. “Suffering is, of course, is my least favorite thing. My objective is not to discuss my struggles specifically but to combine a love of history with biblical principles to produce a clean historical Christian romance, that shows how God uses adversity for our good in ways we may never expect.” Combining, History, Humor, and Romance with an emphasis on Faith, Friends and Good Clean Fun, Rebecca’s Hope, a work of fiction that reminds us how God can use adversity to strengthen us and draw us closer to Him and give us the desires of our heart in ways we may never expect. Fans of historical romance set in late 19th-century will enjoy this beautiful story of love and forgiveness. As the unfortunate circumstances of Rebecca's childhood are revealed, we discover a heroine who is both resilient and kind. Rebecca and Sam's love story will have readers rooting for their happy ending DO YOU ENJOY HISTORICAL WESTERN ROMANCES? The Pioneer Hearts Facebook group is a wonderful place for historical western romance authors, and readers discuss their favorite stories, recipes, and photos. Join the group http://www.facebook.com/groups/Pionee...

Kandice Geddes was born and raised beside the red hills of St. George, Utah. She discovered her love of writing as a small child and began creating stories about mermaids falling for dashing princes. Thank you, Disney. And it only continued from there. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a track scholarship in Elementary Education and taught 1st Grade for four years. While living in northern Colorado, she rediscovered her love of writing, especially within the world of sweet romance, and has been pursuing it ever since. Some of her other loves are: reading, drawing, sugar cookies, watching Disney movies (shocker I know), and spending time with her swoony husband and two highly spirited boys.

Nancy Fraser has been writing since she was a child, most often on walls and with crayons or (heaven forbid) permanent marker. Since first becoming published in 1996, Nancy has received numerous five star reviews for her futuristic, time travel romance. She’s also published in short contemporary, historical romance and is contracted for a series of ten vintage historical romances set during the Golden Decade of Rock & Roll (1955-1964). When not writing fiction, Nancy likes to spend time with her five wonderful grandchildren.

P. Creeden is the sweet romance and mystery pen name for USA Today Bestselling Author Pauline Creeden. Her stories feature down-to-earth characters who often feel like they are undeserving of love for one reason or another and are surprised when love finds them. P. Creeden married her college sweetheart, who she also met at a horse farm. Together they raise a menagerie of animals and their one son, an avid reader, himself. Animals are the supporting characters of many of her stories, because they occupy her daily life on the farm, too. From dogs, cats, and goldfish to horses, chickens, and geckos—she believes life around pets is so much better, even if they are fictional.

Zina Abbott is the pen name used by Robyn Echols for her historical novels. Her novel, Family Secrets, was published by Fire Star Press in October 2014 and her novelette, A Christmas Promise, was published by Prairie Rose Publications in November 2014. The first two novellas in the Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series, Big Meadows Valentine and A Resurrected Heart, are now available. The author currently lives with her husband in California near the “Gateway to Yosemite.” She enjoys family history and any kind of history. When she is not piecing together novel plots, she pieces together quilt blocks.