A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

A Sweet Romance


In the 1850s, Joe Denton had a wife and planned to settle in Seattle. He acquired a considerable amount of land through a deal with the government. His wife died before she could join him, and the judge in town tells Joe he has to give up half his land due to the stipulation in the deal that he must have a wife. Either produce a death certificate for his dead wife, or produce another wife. That was the order. Joe couldn’t produce a death certificate due to a records fire, so his only other option to save his land – and the last 10 years of his hard work – is to produce a new wife. Asa Mercer is arranging marriages, and Joe Denton begrudgingly signs up to be a groom.

Anna Ivey is tired of working for a letch and living alone in post-Civil War Maine. She decides to travel by sea to Seattle and become a cook. Asa Mercer, her means of travel, allows her to believe she is travelling to take on the job as cook, not as a bride. All is well until Joe and Anna meet and Anna refuses to marry.

A Bride in the Bargain is a captivating historical romance which follows the typical boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl can’t be together for whatever reason, and all ends well. However, Deeanne Gist is able to create characters that draw you into the tale and invest your emotions in their lives. The secondary characters are just as endearing as the hero and heroine, and there is no surprise that the couple and their friends must stay together in order not to disappoint the reader. The author does break from the traditional mold and adds a little twist, just when you think the story is coming to an end. An unforeseen complication arises and takes hold of the reader until the close of the book. A enjoyable, romantic read which I highly recommend.