MY REVIEW:
As one of several young women widowed by an unexpected blizzard, Bailey Bryson finds herself pressured to find a new husband or leave Last Chance, Nebraska. Hesitant to agree to a mail order marriage, Bailey has finally resigned herself to her fate. To complicate matters, Bailey has become well know as a writer in multiple historical publications under the assumed identity of Dr. Perseus Stone
Reporter Collin Winchester has arrived in Last Chance to track down and expose Dr. Stone as a fraud. The assignment may just be his own last chance at keeping his new job. Little does he realize that he will encounter the young woman who has remained on his mind since their brief meeting a decade before and that she will become the center of his search.
Although A Groom for Bailey is not the usual western romance I have become accustomed to reading from Heather Blanton, it is a delightful second chance romance that can easily be read in one sitting. It illustrates how many complications can result from what seems to be one little seemingly innocent lie. I enjoyed every minute of it and especially appreciated the ingenious solution to Bailey’s problems.
If you have never read a novel by Heather Blanton, do not wait another day to meet her unique and realistic characters.
I voluntarily reviewed a digital copy of this book provided by the author. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
It was just a harmless, little lie…
Widow Bailey Bryson writes scholarly articles under the masculine-sounding name of Dr. Perseus Stone. When handsome reporter Collin Winchester comes to Last Chance, Nebraska seeking an interview with the good doctor, a whirlwind of lies and confusion tears through the town. No one knows what to believe, especially since the truth is mingling so well with the fiction.
And Bailey is caught in the middle. She knows the truth will set her free, but then she learns Collin has come to Last Chance to smear Dr. Stone’s reputation. A man who does not exist, yet one the town is now bent on protecting.
How can she and Collin get at the truth—especially when their hearts are hiding secrets, too?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
She is a former journalist and avid researcher who endeavors to seamlessly weave actual history in among fictional storylines. She loves exploring the American West, especially ghost towns and museums. She has walked parts of the Oregon Trail, ridden horses through the Rockies, climbed to the top of Independence Rock, and even held an outlaw’s note in her hand.
“Heather Blanton is blessed with a natural storytelling ability, an ‘old soul’ wisdom, and wide expansive heart. Her characters are vividly drawn, and in the western settings where life can be hard, over quickly, and seemingly without meaning, she reveals Larger Hands holding everyone and everything together.”
MARK RICHARD, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, AMC’S HELL ON WHEELS, and PEN/ERNEST HEMINGWAY AWARD WINNER
Her novels are all Christian Western Romance because this is the genre that lets her write about feisty pioneer women who struggle to find love and keep their faith. Like all good, old-fashioned Westerns, there is always justice, a moral message, American values, lots of high adventure, unexpected plot twists, and often a touch of suspense. Of course, romance is always a strong element in her stories because it is such a beautiful gift from God and a perfect reflection of how he loves us: sacrificially and lavishly. Her work is inspired by authors like the great Louis L’Amour, Francine Rivers, and Linda Lael Miller, to name just a few.
She grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina on a steady diet of Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and John Wayne Westerns. Her most fond childhood memory is of sitting next to her daddy, munching on popcorn, and watching Lucas McCain unload that Winchester! Her daddy also taught her to shoot and, trust us, she can sew on buttons with her rifle.
She is a proud member of Western Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers.
