Mail Order Mallory (Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies #15)
Published June 19th 2020 (first published June 17th 2020), Kindle Edition 121 pages
Mallory Price elopes with her childhood sweetheart in post-war Savannah, against her well-to-do family’s wishes, with nothing but a travel bag of dreams and visions of happily-ever-afters in her head. However, tragedy strikes a mere two months later, leaving her a widow with a baby on the way. Crawling back to a family that has disinherited her is not an option, so she leaps at the opportunity to become a mail-order bride. She prays her would-be groom in Dallas is a good man and won’t object to becoming a father in record time.
Former bounty hunter Duke Stratton can think of only one thing he’s missing in his quest to transform himself into a respectable businessman, and that’s the acquisition of a proper wife. There’s one undeniable problem — no high society lady is going to ally herself in holy matrimony to a fellow with his dubious reputation. Thank heavens he discovers a shortcut to the courting process and fills out an application for a mail-order bride.
When Mallory steps off the train, his old bounty hunting instincts go on full alert. Why in tarnation would a woman of her beauty, education, and obvious good breeding agree to such an outlandish marriage proposal? That is, unless she has something to hide... Duke is very good at ferreting out secrets, so he knows it’s only a matter of time before he uncovers Mallory’s. He just hopes it is something he can live with, because he’s never been good at admitting defeat or giving up what’s his.
User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
(4.5 stars) - From convenience to convergence This novella is simple, but well done. Mallory is a former debutante from a wealthy family, & though her heart is willing, her homemaking skills are weak.
Fortunately for both her & her new husband, he appears to be able & willing to love her as she is. But they each have a past to complicate their present & possibly ruin their future.
Duke's a little too good to be true, but the development of their relationship is so sweet, & I love how Mallory not only finds her purpose, but ends up becoming a hero in her own right.
*Clean romance level: sweet kisses, some talk of the marriage bed, but nothing graphic
Rating: really liked it
This is an OK mail-order bride romance, with likable characters, but I did have a few issues with it. It gets 3 stars from me.
First, it was just too short to have enough character development. I wanted more backstory on both Mallory and Duke, but especially on Duke.
I liked Duke a lot -- he was a sweetheart. He was wonderful to Mallory, and had no problem accepting that she was pregnant with her first husband's baby. He was good to her, and was OK with the fact that she didn't have a lot of experience with cooking and housekeeping. He was even willing to annul the marriage, if that was what she wanted, even though he was in love with her.
Mallory was OK, but it bothered me that she didn't tell Duke she was pregnant. I get that she was afraid he would reject her, just like her parents did -- but he had a right to know.
The attitudes toward women with children in this series continues to bother me. Many woman with a child (even widows) are treated as if they have done something wrong. What is wrong with a widow having a child, and why does that somehow make her a bad choice for a man's wife? Maybe that was actually the way lots of people felt in the Old West, but if it was, then that is a terrible shame.
I won't give spoilers, but the scene where Mallory confronts the bad guy was not very believable. No woman would have been able to handle a man as evil as he apparently was -- maybe with help, but not by herself.
This is a clean romance, with nothing but kisses. If you only want to read romances that do not include sex scenes, this one might work for you.
My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.
Rating: really liked it
Difficult times cause people to make difficult decisions. I’m not sure what I would have done if I found myself in Mallory’s position - widowed after just a couple of months of marriage, pregnant, and disowned by her parents because she didn’t marry the class of person they thought she should. Mallory made the only decision she thought she could - travel across the country to marry a man she’s never met. Because of the shortness of the book, the romance does develop quite quickly - but some romances are just that way.
Even though this is a short read, Jo Grafford does a great job of creating characters her readers will care about. She knows how to provide enough details in a short book to keep the reader interested and reading. I loved the gentle way Duke treats Mallory and how understanding he is toward her.
Mail Order Mallory would be a great read for a lazy afternoon. It took me less than 2 hours to read it.
Mail Order Mallory is part of the Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies series. I have not read any of the other books in the series and did not feel I was missing anything.
There would be no problem with adding this adult clean romance to a K-12 Christian school library. It would be appropriate for middle school and up.
I received a complimentary copy of Mail Order Mallory. This is my honest review.
Rating: really liked it
Mail Order Mallory is book 15 in the Widows, Brides & Secret Babies series. This mail order bride story is entertaining and full of suspense and love. Mallory became widowed only 6 months after marrying a hard working man that was her childhood sweetheart. He was not loaded with money as her parents wanted. She was disowned at her marriage. Now she has begged them to take her back end and even with the knowledge that she is pregnant she is told to lie in the bed she made. She feels she has no option than to leave Savannah and become a mail order bride. She was exchanging letters with Duke and he had paid her way out west to Dallas. She cried leaving everyone she knew and loved in Savannah not knowing what her future held. When she arrives in Dallas, Duke falls instantly in love with her. He has so much waiting for her to make her feel like a regular bride on her wedding day that she was just over whelmed. By the time Duke came to pick her up she was so fixed up and looking like a regular bride. She was scared to tell Duke about the baby, but, she knew he would shortly find out. A few days after their wedding and everything was going good who but her brother in law would show up to take his place marrying Mallory to be the daddy of her baby since his brother died. What is Mallory going to do?
Rating: really liked it
Mallory and Duke were a wonderful couple! I loved both of them from the beginning and knew they would be a great match. They just had to get over a little "bump" in the road! Nothing a little communication wouldn't take care of! Mallory was born into wealth but the Civil War put a dent in that since she lived in the South. Her family was still proud though and her parents were NOT happy that she ran off with a "lower class" man to marry but when he died shortly after, they didn't accept her back. She needed to think fast about what to do because she has a baby on the way so she becomes a mail order bride. Duke lives in Texas and although he's been a bounty hunter, he wants to be more respectable so he orders a mail order bride and can't believe when Mallory walks off the train! How can he be so fortunate to get a woman like her? When will Mallory tell him about the baby? Duke was such a solicitous husband! I really liked him! The only thing I didn't like is that the story ending too abruptly! It needed a little bit more to wrap things up but other than that, it was a great story!
Rating: really liked it
When heartache struck and there were few choices left, Mallory took the only option she could find. Become a mail order bride. She was a new widow, with child and her family would not have her back after marrying a man they thought below them. She needed a champion and she prayed Duke Stratton her husband to be would fill that void.
Duke had been a bounty hunter, but now was trying to be a respectable business owner with his gunshop. He felt having a wife would help him in that endeavor and also ease his loneliness. He never thought his mail order bride would be the beautiful Mallory!
A sweet wonderful story that shows even in sadness there is always hope and that love can be found again when least expected.
I love Jo Grafford and always look forward to anything she writes!
Rating: really liked it
💞 Mallory and Duke 💞Mallory is a widow and about four months pregnant. Her very weather family has disowned her as she had married a man that was a common laborer. Her only option is to be a mail order bride.
Duke Stratton is a former bounty hunter and is ready to marry and settle down. He only hopes his mail order bride will accept him with his past.
I truly enjoyed this sweet romance, but I felt a little cheated in a way. It was supposed to be 123 pages, but ended at 79. The rest was snippets of other books. I wish there had been more of an extended epilogue. Other than that, I loved this romantic story ❤️
Rating: really liked it
Amazingly well written, sweet romance!I love that the author, Jo Grafford, always gives you an entertaining story, usually filled with drama or intrigue, to go along with the sweet romance. Duke and Mail Order Mallory are no exception to that rule. Just enough of drama and danger to round out the budding relationship taking place at the center of the story, esp. when a former bounty hunter marries a former debutant! For more great reads with an awesome back story, check out Jo's Mail Order Brides Rescue Series. Read one thru twelve in order singularly or in book sets of four! They are not to be missed!
Rating: really liked it
I enjoyed this sweet west mail order bride book. It was a hard book to put down when started reading because it grab my attention. Mallory is a widow and is pregnant from a previous marriage. Her family has disowned her so she has decided to be a mail order bride. Duke is a sweet man that owns a guns smith store.
This clean adventure story was very sweet to read. It have few twist and turns. With a sweet ending that was very surprising.
I received a complimentary copy from author. This is my honest unbiased opinion.
Rating: really liked it
The author has penned a sweet and heart warming story with great character development. This is Duke, a former bounty hunter, and Mallory, a recent widow's, story. Mallory agrees to become Duke's mail order bride after her southern family disowns her because they felt her first marriage was below their standing in the community. Will Duke and Mallory be able to reach a HEA even though their marriage starts off with secrets and a surprise. Be sure to read this story to find out. I really enjoyed this story and I highly recommend it.
Rating: really liked it
Duke and MalloryThis is a very short story about the Duke, a former bounty hunter and his mail order bride, Mallory. Mallory is a recent widow that had found herself with child. Her family has completely disowned her for marrying with out their blessing to a man they considered below them. This tale has excitement and adventure. You will enjoy discovering how Duke and Mallory find their happily ever after.
Rating: really liked it
Loved this story! Mallory is all alone after her new husband dies, leaving her in the family way. She becomes a Mail Order Bride and married ex-bounty hunter Duke Stranton. I laughed out loud when Mallory used her new gun shooting skills. If you like clean stories about Mail-Order brides, you want be disappointed. I highly recommend 'Mail-Order Bride Mallory '. I received this book from the publisher. The thoughts and comments are my own.
Rating: really liked it
I enjoy these mail order bride books! Jo Grafford’s writing makes you feel like you are there with the characters. Mallory has to become a mail order bride because her parents won’t take her back after marrying a man they didn’t approve of. But months later she’s pregnant and her husband is dead. She must race against time to ensure she’s not living off the streets. You will enjoy Mallory and Duke’s story.
Rating: really liked it
Mail order MalloryI liked this story. Mallory was a true southern bell who had fallen in love with a rail worker in her fathers business. They married and soon after he died in an accident working. Her family disowned her due to her marrying beneath her status and she was pregnant. She decided to become a mail order bride. She travelled to Dallas to meet her soon to be husband. She was really surprised. You will enjoy this story.
Rating: really liked it
Another great book by Jo!! I loved Duke and Mallory from the beginning! Duke is your tough exterior, teddy bear inside, man. Mallory is stronger than she thinks she is, and shows Duke she's just right for him!!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, was not required to leave a review, and the opinion expressed is my own.
