Train Station Bride
Holly Bush
BookBaby
March 14, 2012
175 pages
Amazon|BN
provided by author
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5/5 Books
1887 Debutante, Julia Crawford endures a lifetime of subtle ridicule as the plump, silly daughter of a premiere Boston family. Julia strikes out on her own to gain independence, traveling to the Midwest to marry an aging shopkeeper and care for his mother. Julia finds her new home rough and uncivilized after the sophistication of a big city, while closely held secrets threaten to ruin Julia’s one chance at love.
Jake Shelling was sixteen and grew up quick when his parents died from influenza on the North Dakota prairie. Left with a half-cleared farm and two young sisters, he spent little time on his own needs . . till now. At thirty-five, he figured it was high time to have some sons and a mail order bride would suit him just fine. No expectations of love, just a helpmate from sturdy stock, ready for farm life.
Will fate and chance play a trick on Julia and Jake?
About The Author:
Holly Bush was born in western Pennsylvania to two avid readers. There was not a room in her home that did not hold a full bookcase. She worked in the hospitality industry, owning a restaurant for twenty years and recently worked as the sales and marketing director in the hospitality/tourism industry and is credited with building traffic to capacity for a local farm tour, bringing guests from twenty-two states, booked two years out. Holly has been a marketing consultant to start-up businesses and has done public speaking on the subject.
Holly has been writing all of her life and is a voracious reader of a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction, particularly political and historical works. She has written four romance novels, all set in the U.S. West in the mid 1800’s. She frequently attends writing conferences, and has always been a member of a writer’s group.
Holly is a gardener, a news junkie, and vice-president of her local library board and loves to spend time near the ocean. She is the proud mother of two daughters and the wife of a man more than a few years her junior.
Connect With The Author:
Website|Twitter
My Review:
I love mail order bride stories and Holly Bush does a fabulous job at capturing that essence of history mixed with the detail of brides sent for by mail, and heroes who still your heart! From page one, you’re instantly gripped by the characters and the wonderful writing style of Ms. Bush.
Julia Crawford is not your average heroine. She’s not the tall skinny woman that men dream of. But, she has a heart of gold! She’s a little on the plump side, and she’s not accepted by her family. So, she takes it upon herself to correspond with a man from North Dakota, and agrees to be his bride. Arriving on the train, Julia is not prepared for the mishap that happens! She marries the wrong man! Instead of the man she’s come to know through letters, she’s married a farmer who has raised his siblings.
Jake Shelling is a wonderful hero! I loved his character completely! He just wants whats best for his family and the farm, and marrying Julia seems like the perfect solution, even if she is the wrong bride! She’s not the skinniest woman he’s met, but she seems sweet and likable. What he wasn’t prepared for was the way his heart felt towards her.
Julia is not prepared, either! She’s not the perfect looking woman, and she doesn’t want her heart to get broken. But, what she feels for Jake can only be real. Can they forget about pasts and secrets and move forward with true love? Or will the mail-order turned train-station bride be once again, or will the secrets prevail and leave Julia turned away again?
A wonderful story of unconditional love and forgiveness! I really loved the way Ms. Bush captured the essence of the historical detail. I felt myself being swept away to another place in time and becoming a part of the story! I definitely recommend this 5 Book worthy story with high flying colors! I can’t wait to read another story from this amazingly talented author!

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