Title: Mail-Order Haven
Author: Linda Carroll-Bradd
Genre: Sweet Historical Romance
Book Blurb:
Fitz Saunders is proud of the Texas ranch he’s spent five years building…until a visit from his father’s accountant reminds him that to receive his inheritance, he must be married by his thirtieth birthday. The date is less than a month away. A mail-order bride seems like the logical and most practical solution.
Tavia Naughton seeks a haven from a childhood raised in Army forts and a series of ladies’ companion positions. An interview with a Texas rancher seems like the answer to her prayers—she plunges into an immediate marriage. Traveling to her new home involves a disaster, and she arrives with an orphaned baby in tow. Nothing is how Fitz envisioned, and Tavia is surprised at Fitz’s resistance to change. Both come to realize they may have been hasty and wonder if they’ve made the right decision.
Excerpt:
Outside the door marked Bexar Bride News, she paused with gloved hands pressed to quell her knotted stomach. After a quick pat of her chignon to make sure she was presentable, she turned the doorknob and walked into a small office.
The room held a serviceable desk, a wooden file cabinet, a coat rack with garments, and two wooden chairs stood along the wall to her right. A circular rug on the plank floor and a grouping of framed photographs of smiling couples on the walls gave the space a homey atmosphere.
“Miss Naughton, I presume?” A curvy, dark-haired woman stood in an open doorway a few feet away. In her hand, she held a sheaf of papers.
Tavia dipped a short curtsey before stepping forward. “I apologize for keeping you waiting. Hiring a cab took longer than anticipated.”
“Well, you’re here now. I’m Missus Turnbull, and I’m glad to meet you.” After giving a wide smile, the woman wearing a pale yellow blouse and brown skirt nodded. “Hang your coat on the rack by the entry.” She swept an arm toward the nearby doorway. “Then go right through here.”
Doing as the woman instructed, Tavia unbuttoned her woolen coat and hung it and her scarf on an empty curved hook. The woman’s pleasant smile was the first kindness Tavia had encountered since the funeral. The knot in her stomach released just a bit. “Thank you, ma’am. I’m in the midst of settling my late employer’s estate. This morning, I had hoped to make arrangements for quite an extensive collection of military publications.” She drew off her gloves as she crossed the threshold into the meeting room, half-turning to continue her tale. “But I was left to wait while the—”
“What type of military books?”
Tavia gasped and whirled toward the deep male voice. Rising to a stand not five feet away was the same tall man from the fort. Dark-haired with a penetrating stare, he exuded confidence and command. But he was also the man who’d delayed her arrival. She couldn’t stop herself from extending a stiffened finger. “You!” She jerked her head toward Missus Turnbull, and then back at the dark-haired man, before narrowing her gaze. “You, sir, are the very reason for my tardiness.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
99 cent e-copy saleà 7/1 - 7/6
What I love most about the holiday season:
The holiday season is one of the few times a year that I get to spend time with family who lives over 400 miles away. I cherish those everyday moments of sharing a meal, playing a board game, or watching a movie with my two granddaughters.
Why is your featured book a must-read to get you in the holiday mood?
A home is something that Tavia has sought for many years and she thinks she’s found that with Fitz and the baby they’re fostering...until someone threatens that relationship.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon (US) gift card.
Open internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon Canada account to win.
Runs July 1 – 31
Drawing will be held on August 1.
Author Biography:
As a young girl, Linda was often found lying on her bed reading about fascinating characters having exciting adventures in places far away and in other time periods. In later years, she read and then started writing romances and achieved her first publication--a confession story. Married with 4 adult children and 2 granddaughters, award-winning author Linda now writes heartwarming contemporary and historical stories with a touch of humor and a bit of sass from her home in the southern California mountains.
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