MY REVIEW:
Having recently read “Butterfly Palace”, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Coble’s novella “Bluebonnet Bride” features Nathan White who had a minor role in the previous novel. Because of circumstances surrounding him in “Butterfly Palace”, Nathan mostly came across as gruff and distrustful although it was obvious that he loved his sister and niece. I enjoyed reading about the Nathan that Elli got to know soon after she married him as a mail order bride.
Colleen managed to pack quite a bit of action and suspense into such a brief story and she kept it believable too! I read my copy of the ebook in one sitting because I NEEDED to find out what happened before I could put it down for the night. Both Elli and Nathan were both characters I would love to revisit. Elli was a sweet young woman desperate for a chance of a safe home and a family to love. Despite her grave circumstances, she was determined to be a good wife to Nathan. Nathan proved himself to be a husband Elli could depend on and easily grow to love. When danger followed Ellis all the way from Finland to Texas, Nathan’s first priority was to protect her and his niece Hannah.
The only complaint I could voice about “Bluebonnet Bride” is that it was much too short; however I could say that about any book written by Colleen Coble. She is one author whose books I do not miss.
This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson Publisher’s BookLook blogger program.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
At the turn of the 20th century, Elli Korpela boards The Baltic with hundreds of eager women, all seeking new beginnings and brighter futures in America . . . as mail order brides.
Escaping a forced engagement, Elli seeks refuge in a faraway marriage, desperately needing her new life with a Texan named Nathan White to be safer than the one she left behind in Finland. And as she glimpses her future husband and his darling niece at the train station, she instantly knows her risk will prove the best decision she’s ever made.
Until he became the guardian of four-year-old Hannah, Nathan White never took an interest in marriage, arranging a mail order wife to simply love and care for his orphaned niece. That is, he never took an interest until he laid eyes on the beautiful Elli Korpela.
After a fairytale ceremony in the gardens of the grandest estate Elli’s ever seen, a place called Butterfly Palace, their peaceful beginning takes a disquieting turn as an intruder brutally attacks Elli in the middle of the night. Nathan intervenes, but the devil escapes unidentified, leaving Elli to face two chilling possibilities: either the attack was arranged by strike workers in Nathan’s employ or her shadowy past followed her into the present – and across the sea.
As the danger mounts, Elli and Nathan must face their enemy together, fighting to stay alive – and fighting to stay man and wife.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Best-selling author Colleen Coble’s novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, ACFW Book of the Year, RWA’s RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers’ Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana.
Find out more about Colleen at http://www.colleencoble.com/.
