A Sensible Arrangement

Whenever I hear the name Tracie Peterson, I know I am in for a great novel, that will completely captivate me heart and soul. There is something about the unique way she writes so well that you are simply not just reading her novels, she takes you along for the ride and you become part of the story along with her amazing characters you can't help but love. In her latest series, The Lone Star Brides Series, she picks up on one of my favorite topics dealing with life in the west, mail order brides.

In the novel A Sensible Arrangement, Marty Dandrige Olson is looking for a way to escape her life in Texas. Since losing her husband to being gored by a long horn she is struggling with how to move forward in her life without him and without God. Blaming God for not answering any of her prayers, she answers an ad for a banker in Denver searching for the same thing as she is. A marriage without the possibility of love. One simply of convenience and in name only. Seems like Jake Wythe would be the answer to a prayer but Marty has all but abandoned any notion of God or prayer in her life.

Leaving behind all her worldly good, she takes a stagecoach to Denver believing it is more suitable for women traveling alone without a chaperone, at least that what she has been told. Now traveling in the company of other women, her stagecoach is attacked by bank robbers. Rather than become a victim of circumstances, Marty pulls the pistol she always keeps handy and aids the drivers in putting a stop to the robbery. When the stage comes to a full stop, Marty learns that neither the driver or shotgun are fit to drive the stage into town. Without help they will surely die, so Marty does what anyone would do, and drives the stage into town. She not only saves the lives of the two men on the stage, but also becomes the talk of the town.

Fearing this won't lead to a good impression on Jake Wythe as a women of good character, she fears she will be rejected and sent back to Texas. But Jake sees something more in Marty than just a good candidate for a banker's wife. He sees her heart of compassion and softness without any fear of what others may think of her. Fortunately for both of them, theirs will simply be a marriage in name only and he won't have to worry about where his heart may take him instead. But it seems like God has other plans in store not only for Marty and Jake, but for those who are surrounded by their good natures as well.

I received A Sensible Arrangement by Tracie Peterson compliments of Bethany House Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions are strictly my own. I love this book because it took me back to a much simpler time in a sense, where Marty is struggling with coming to terms with leaving behind her cattle ranching days for a life of leisure as a banker's wife, being waited on hand and foot wanting for nothing. Jake on the other hand, would gladly give up the life in Denver for his own cattle ranch. He's doing all he can to save up for his own, when rumors of an economic fallout begin to rock the social world in Denver. Will Jake and Marty be able to come to terms with a new future of compromise or will they both be faced with holding back secrets that they know will hurt the other if they should ever come to light? You'll have to see how these two work to make their differences work together and I for one can't wait for the next novel in this series. Warning: a bit of a cliff hanger ending but one I would easily give a 5 out of 5 stars for!

For more information about A Sensible Arrangement, Tracie Peterson or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

A Sensible Arrangement by Tracie Peterson

You can also find Tracie Peterson on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Sensible Arrangement, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page. 


Welcome to the campaign launch for Tracie Peterson's 100th book! A Sensible Arrangement launches Tracie's new Texas-based series, Lone Star Brides, that’s sure to please. As a special treat, devoted fans will be able to catch a glimpse of several popular characters from previous series.

Tracie is celebrating by giving away an iPad Mini and hosting a LIVE webcast event on 4/29.

  One winner will receive:

• An iPad Mini
• A Sensible Arrangement by Tracie Peterson

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 29th. Winner will be announced at the A Sensible Arrangement Live Webcast Event on April 29th. Connect with Tracie for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Tracie will also be taking questions from the audience and giving away books, fun prizes, and gift certificates throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of A Sensible Arrangement and join Tracie and friends on the evening of April 29th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today by signing up for a reminder. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 29th!

A Bride for Keeps

The last thing that Everett Cline wants right now is for another woman to step foot off the train looking for marriage from him. After three unsuccessful attempts to finding a wife to help him on his farm, and all of them not working out in his favor he has lost interest in finding anyone who will marry him. After his failed attempts at finding love through mail order brides, first one married someone else before getting off the train, the second one died before arriving and the third took one look at what he was asking her to help with on the farm, and opted for someone else. Now his sister Rachel is involved with a friend who believes she is just the right woman for Everett. But when Julia Lockwood arrives in town, she turns just about every head there is, women and men.

Julia Lockwood answered Rachel's request to marry her brother Everett in hopes of alleviating the constant demands of men wanting her for her beauty and what they hoped she could provide as the wealthy daughter of a prominent businessman from Boston. Not afraid of hard work, Julia hopes she can provide just what Everett is looking for, someone to help him out on the farm. She has already seen what her looks can do to a man that wanted to be a part of her father's business and insisted on getting it from Julia despite her attempts at refusing his advances. Now assured that besides having more than her beauty robbed of her, she's hoping she can convince Everett to marry her to ensure men won't be looking at her for anything more than being someone's else's wife. She isn't looking for love and hopes she can convince Everett she isn't one to run away from anything.

But since both Everett and Julia have been burned by their pasts, they will do whatever they can to put up false fronts that will do more than build walls around their hearts. It will also keep them from learning to love and forgiving those that have hurt them instead of making one another pay for someone else's mistakes. Yet what will it take for either of them to become truly honest and work to heal those painful pasts and teach each other what God truly wants from unconditional love? Will it take the risk of losing one another to make them appreciate what they really have or will they simply fade away into the sunset and suffer in silence with their dark mistakes?

I received A Bride for Keeps by debut author Melissa Jagears compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and Bethany House Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed in this review are my own. This is such a believable novel for me when you consider the challenges of being a mail order bride. There is no courtship and at times even those marriages are often worse than remaining single and alone. I found Julia's story to be just what I would expect and loved Everett's challenge at trying to keep his promise to refrain from taking advantage of Julia just because he is married to her, despite her beauty. She works hard to prove herself something we all try to do to earn our way into God's good graces, such is the story of Julia trying to earn Everett's favor. It simply doesn't work. This is the first novel by Melissa Jagears and it certainly won't be her last. For those of you that love a great Western Romance, this one is guaranteed to capture your heart. I rate this a 5 out of 5 stars and it has found a permanent home in my library. Melissa Jagears is now on my MUST READ list!

For more information about A Bride for Keeps, Melissa Jagears or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

A Bride for Keeps by Melissa Jagears

You can find Melissa Jagears on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Bride for Keeps on the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Book Tour, please click here. 

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (October 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764211684
• ISBN-13: 978-0764211683
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 1 inches