Train Station Bride

Being the plump, unattractive daughter in a family of beauties, Julia Crawford's only chance at marriage is as a mail-order bride. Having secretly corresponded with fifty year-old shopkeeper Jacob Snelling, Julia boards a train for South Dakota, leaving her family in Boston unaware of her plans.

Having raised his sisters and built his farm after the death of his parents, thirty-three year-old Jake Shelling can start to think about his own life and marriage. With no expectations of love Jake has sent for a sturdy mail-order bride from Sweden. But with Founder’s Day celebrations in town the train station is noisier and more crowded than normal and a mix-up of the mail-order brides sees Julia married to Jake.

Julia, though she considers herself unattractive and therefore unlovable, is a heroine with mettle. Jake is an honorable hero and just the man to help Julia see she's beautiful. Their relationship is sweet, although the protagonists did fall in love rather quickly. The descriptions of nineteenth century America provide enough detail for the  story to read realistically, without overwhelming the reader. The mail-order bride is a staple of historical western romances and though there is really nothing new here, Train Station Bride is a well-written, lovely romance.

Jill Mackenzie