Review: Would-Be Wilderness Bride

Would-Be Wilderness Wife
By Regina Scott
Bachelor Brides, #2
Love Inspired Historical, 2015


Summary

Drew Wallin's youngest brother is determined to see him married--so he kidnaps Drew a prospective bride. Not only is Catherine Stanway beautiful, but she's a nurse who can help their ailing mother. Drew doesn't have time for distractions--he's too busy watching over his fatherless siblings. Yet he's drawn to this woman who carries loss and pain equal to his own.

Catherine has traveled West to use her nursing skills to save lives, not to find a husband. She knows if she gives in to Drew's matchmaking family, she'll be risking her already bruised heart. But maybe it's time she takes the ultimate risk to win the groom she didn't know she wanted!


My thoughts

Regina Scott is an author who draws from interesting historical events and settings as backgrounds for stories that both inform and entertain. Would-Be Wilderness Wife, a tender romance set in an area known for its rugged beauty, introduces us to a family that I can't wait to see more of. With its rural setting and close-knit family relationships, not to mention the antics of four brothers, it actually evokes the feel of the classic musical, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.  I have always enjoyed Regina's Regency romances, but am especially drawn to the Bachelor Brides series.

Mt. Rainier

Would-Be Wilderness Wife opens around Lake Union in the Seattle, Washington Territory during the spring of 1866, at a family settlement called Wallin Landing. Catherine was one of the Mercer's Belles who had sailed from New York Harbor in 1866, bound for what they had been led to believe was a land of promise and opportunity. Book #1 in this series, The Bride Ship, tells of that voyage and the friendship that formed between Catherine, Allie and Maddie, while focusing on Allie's story - and both stories can stand alone.

Regina does a great job at creating multilayered characters that are realistic and likeable. Catherine, a skilled nurse with a strong will and tons of determination, has no intentions of marrying and has, in effect, walled off her emotions, for "once she opened the door to feeling, she was very much afraid she'd never be able to close it again." Drew, a lumberjack, has selflessly taken on the responsibility for his Ma and five siblings . . . "He didn't eat until their plates were filled, didn't rest until they were dreaming. And if their sleep was peaceful, it was because they knew he was standing guard." But Drew had set aside any personal aspirations for many years and when it came to affairs of the heart, he had no clue - and that makes him all the more adorable.

Love for family is one of this story's strengths and I love how it harkens back to a time when families spent their evenings together, talking and sharing in various activities. One of the brothers, Simon, has a musical gift and I could almost hear him playing a tune which spoke to Catherine "of loves lost and friends parted, yet hope rising through it all, whispering of new life, fulfilled purpose." Simon was one of my favorite secondary characters and I hope to see more of him.

Spiritual themes are skillfully woven throughout, for it is so easy to react to life situations in the same way as Drew and Catherine did in allowing outside influences to control their emotions - Drew, the family responsibility he feels; and Catherine, her efforts to avoid the pain of loss that comes from caring. In showing the importance of trusting God and that He walks with us through everything, Regina quoted a Scripture that always ministers to me . . .

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye

might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation,

but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world."

- John 16:33

I enjoyed Would-Be Wilderness Wife and recommend it to all who enjoy inspirational romance.

Please click on the title, The Bride Ship, to see my review of the first book in this series.

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        Regina Scott and her husband are the parents of two sons. They reside in southeast Washington State and are members of the Church of the Nazarene. Born and raised in the Seattle area, Regina Scott is a graduate of the University of Washington. She comes by her writing talent naturally--both her parents were excellent writers in their vocations as teacher and electrical technician. Her mother envisioned the plot for Sweeter Than Candy, the novella which was written as a tribute to her.

        Regina is a devout Christian and a decent fencer; owns a historical, fantasy, and science fiction costume collection that currently takes up over a third of her large closet; and has been known to impersonate an independent consultant specializing in risk communication.

Connect with Regina online at reginascott.com, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Thank you to Regina Scott for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.