Mail-Order Mistletoe Brides By: Jillian Hart and Janet Tronstad

This book contains two stories, Christmas Hearts by Jillian Hart and Mistletoe Kiss in Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad. I love anything written by these two authors. They are great together! The book starts out with two women, Mercy Jacobs and Maeve Flanagan, riding a train to meet their new husbands. They have answered mail-order bride ads and are on their way to meet their husbands. Christmas Hearts is Mercy Jacobs’ story. She has a son George that needs a father and Cole Matheson needs a mother for his daughter Amelia. Will their marriage remain in name only or will they find true love? Cole’s wife has died and he figures since Mercy’s husband has died that she’ll understand. But he has nothing left to give. His heart is broken and grief has filled him. Can Mercy help him to love again? Mercy fills Cole’s life with grace and humor, loving his daughter as her own. Will she find what she needs in Cole? Mistletoe Kiss in Dry Creek is Maeve Flanagan’s story. Her husband was killed and she needs a father for her daughter and unborn child. Noah Miller needs a cook for his ranch hands. Maeve decides she can do that, and hopefully Noah will decide he likes her enough to go ahead and marry even if she is already pregnant. But what happens when Noah’s ex-wife shows up? Will he still marry Maeve? Or will he remarry his ex? These two stories are great and I can’t wait to read more! For a great Christmas read, pick up this book today. I received this book free from Janet Tronstad in exchange for a review.

Mail-Order Holiday Brides by Jillian Hart and Janet Tronstad

Home for Christmas This is a wonderful Christmas story by Jillian Hart! Christina Eberlee and Annabelle Hester are mail-order brides who meet on the train taking them to their prospective husbands. Home for Christmas is Christina’s story by Jillian Hart. She meets Elijah Gable, the marshal who tries to catch the boy that knocks Christina down as he’s steeling her reticule on the train. The marshal can’t catch the boy, but he knows Christina’s arm is broken, no matter how much she denies it! Christina is just praying that her future husband who paid her way to him will be a good match. But will he be as good a catch as the marshal? And what about the boy that stole her reticule? This is one story that will grab you from the beginning and you won’t be able to stop until you’re finished. Don’t miss this great Christmas story by Jillian Hart! Snowflakes for Dry Creek This is the second story in this wonderful Mail-Order Christmas Brides sequel. Annabelle Hester is on her way to Dry Creek to meet her future husband, Adam Stone. But, he sends his brother Gabe to pick her up at the station. Where has Adam run off to? How can Annabelle’s story end happily if her promised husband doesn’t want her? She has been told lies by Adam; can she trust his brother Gabe? This is a wonderful Christmas story by Janet Tronstad. Put your faith in God and everything will work out. Both of these stories come with discussion questions at the end and are heartwarming Christmas stories.

Wildflower Bride in Dry Creek By Janet Tronstad

This is the latest book by Janet Tronstad in the Dry Creek Series. I really enjoyed this one! It was great going back to Dry Creek and seeing some of the other characters again and catching up with what they were doing. Ever wondered what people would say about you when you were dead, or ever been estranged from home and have a chance to go back? Both of these things happen to Tyler Stone. His family thinks he was killed and are planning a memorial service the night he comes back into town. Tyler never felt like he belonged so he struck out on his own. He goes to work for Brighton Security, and then joins the military. Mr. Brighton hires him for one more job—bringing his daughter, Angelina, back home. Angelina and Tyler have a history from before. Tyler was hired once before to protect Angelina when her father received a kidnapping threat. She can’t believe he has come back and on the night of his memorial service. Both Angelina and Tyler learn what home means, how to trust in God, and that you can pray even when you don’t know the words. This story really spoke to my heart. Tyler could not understand how anyone could love him, even God, and especially Angelina. He felt like odd man out while growing up; his father loved his brothers more and he could never do anything to earn his respect. Follow Tyler as he learns about God’s love, forgiveness, and mercy and how he learns to accept himself and allow Angelina into his heart. His brothers’ and mother’s transformations as they allow God to change them, works and changes Tyler. Wildflower Bride in Dry Creek is a book to keep on the shelf to read over and over. Once you start this one you will get caught up and will keep it to read over and over!

A Dry Creek Christmas By Janet Tronstad

Another great book by Janet Tronstad! I loved the character Millie Corwin. She had no idea why Forrest, the hit man from An Angel for Dry Creek, would pick her to convince the town of Dry Creek to trust in strangers again. How could she prove to them that Forrest was sorry for what he took from them—their trust—and how could she restore it to them? Brad Parker catches Millie sneaking into the café where she is going to leave Christmas stockings for everyone with one hundred dollars in each one. She figures that will prove to everyone once and for all that Forrest was sorry and they should trust strangers again. The one thing she doesn’t reckon on is Brad feeling lonely around Christmas time and catching her doing it. Can these two get a miracle from God and fall in love? How will Millie prove she isn’t trying to steal money, but giving it away? This book brings back all the characters from the previous Dry Creek books. Brad tries his best to put the town’s best foot forward so Millie will decide to stay. But it’s the church that tugs on her heartstrings. Church isn’t what she grew up thinking it was. I enjoyed this part of the story. Millie thought God didn’t care about her or the things that worried her. But she is beginning to see that He does care. No matter what you are going through, God is there. He is in control. We just need to trust Him. And like Millie, He can use ordinary people to do extraordinary things. All it takes is a willing heart. Brad and Millie will draw you in from the time they meet until the end with their insecurities and questions. You won’t want to put this book down!

A Baby for Dry Creek By Janet Tronstad

I loved this book by Janet Tronstad! A Baby for Dry Creek is about kindness, forgiveness, and trusting another person to love you for who you are. Chrissy Hamilton has a son out of wedlock. Since she grew up with a single parent, she knows the way people will act toward her and her son. The few times she had been to church, she heard how the people whispered about her and her mother. Reno Redfern had met Chrissy in the previous book, A Hero for Dry Creek. She ended up returning to Las Vegas and Reno figured that’s where she belonged. Like his mother, she wouldn’t be happy living in a small town without the big city lights. However, when Chrissy gets into trouble, who is her rescuer? Reno Redfern decides maybe he can show her the finer points of living in a small town. He goes to get her and bring her back to Dry Creek. Chrissy is afraid she will get the cold shoulder from everyone once they find out she has a child. Can Reno prove to her he can love her for who she is? Will Chrissy accept the kindness from the community members of Dry Creek, or is she like Reno fears, more attuned to life in the big city? Before Chrissy can decide, she needs to learn how to trust again and to accept help from others. Sometimes we can’t do it all on our own and need help from friends, family, and especially God. It doesn’t make us weak; it makes us stronger. Make sure you pick up this great book by Janet Tronstad and check out her other books in this series!

A Hero for Dry Creek By Janet Tronstad I loved this story by Janet Tronstad. Ever wonder if a fairy tale could come true? Just ask Nicki Redfern! She wakes up one morning and thinks she sees Prince Charming outside her window. Prince Charming, aka Garrett Hamilton, is acting as a chauffeur for someone close to Nicki. This person will bring back hurtful memories for Nicki. Can she come to peace with her past and give up her independence? Can Garrett give up Big Blue and his “on the road” lifestyle? Read this story and see how God can use a fairy tale, a truck driver, and the past to forge a loving, happy-ever-after, God-led future when you trust God. Nicki’s mother left when she was young. She never knew why. Now is her chance to find out what happened since her mother has come back. Can she understand why her mother did what she did? Can she find forgiveness in her heart? Will she find true love with Garrett? Everyone will enjoy reading this book. A touch of western, inspirational, lots of humor and romance, you won’t want to put this book down once you start it!

A Rich Man for Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad

A Rich Man for Dry Creek By Janet Tronstad Another great book by Janet Tronstad! Robert Buckwalter III is a wealthy playboy carrying out a rich man’s lifestyle. Jenny Black is a working girl employed by Robert’s mother. She is in Dry Creek as a personal chef for the youths staying at Garth’s ranch. Can Robert convince her he is really interested in her and it doesn’t matter that she’s part of the working class? Can she overlook his money and fall in love with him for who he is? Or, is he only interested in her because her sister works for the editors who compile the bachelor list? Janet Tronstad uses humor, suspense, and God’s love to weave her tales. You are drawn in from page one and won’t be able to stop reading until the last page. “He (Robert) had met the woman the Bob inside him wanted to marry and she was looking at him this very minute like he was some hair ball a very unwelcome stray cat had coughed up.” Humor is used all through the book. You will laugh and cry with the inhabitants of Dry Creek. They become your neighbors and your friends. Each book features different community members and continues their stories. You can read the books out of order and not get lost figuring out who is who. I enjoy reading them in order and following their stories.

A Bride For Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad

This is another great story in the Dry Creek series. It features Flint and Francis. We do not know what the future holds for us, but we can rest in the knowledge that God holds the future. Francis and Flint had been married 20 years before, but her father told her that Flint left, and her father told Flint that Francis didn’t want to be married to him and even got him arrested. They spend the next several years wondering what happened and not finding love. She comes back to Dry Creek to free herself from her past. Little does she know, she will face her past head-on. She hopes she can forget Flint and move on to marry Sam. Flint is working with the FBI to capture the cattle rustling ring in Dry Creek. Flint has to kidnap Francis to protect her from the cattle rustlers. She is not happy, especially when she figures out who kidnaps her. Will he capture her heart again? Will she trust her heart to him again? Follow Flint and Francis as they put the pieces together of what happened on that fateful day when they married. Flint drops Francis off at her house so he can go pack; he never comes back. The story that unfolds will capture you and you won’t be able to put the book down until you’ve read the last page!

A Gentleman for Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad

This is the second book in the Dry Creek series. You do not need to read these in order to figure out what is going on or who is who, but I thought it would be fun to review them in order. At the end of An Angel for Dry Creek, we meet Garth Elkton and Sylvia Bannister. She comes to Dry Creek and ends up in a ditch. Garth rescues her. At the end, she goes back to Seattle. A Gentleman for Dry Creek picks up Garth’s and Sylvia’s stories. Sylvia works with troubled teens in her church-sponsored youth center. A sponsor, Mrs. Buckwalter, steps forward to provide a summer camp for the teens to get them out of the city and teach them manners. Garth has a ranch that they can use. Mrs. Buckwalter, Sylvia, and the teens move to Garth’s ranch for the summer. Garth has doubts and fears that he needs to turn over to God. Can he learn to do that? He was brought up that anything he received had to be earned. He believes salvation works the same way. Since he’d learned early in life that nothing came free, mercy couldn’t be free either. Garth says that he doubts God would even want to look on his own scars, let alone heal them. He is told it was no good patching up his own life. Only God could do it. Little does he know, that is exactly what God wants to do, if Garth would just give Him a chance! How many times do we try to do God’s work for Him? Sylvia is dealing with her own trust issues. In a previous relationship, she had been beaten. Can Garth find a way into her heart and teach her to trust again? Can Sylvia help Garth find the way to salvation and peace? Will the teens learn there is more than gangs and violence? Follow their stories and be encouraged in your own walk. Janet Tronstad uses suspense, humor, and truthfulness to bring about this story. From page one you will be drawn into these characters’ lives and you won’t be able to put the book down until everything is resolved. Happy reading!

An Angel for Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad

This is the first book in the Dry Creek series by Janet Tronstad. I have read these books before, but I am reading them again and posting reviews in anticipation of her two new books coming out this year. Lilac Wedding in Dry Creek came out in March 2012 and Wildflower Bride in Dry Creek comes out in July of this year. An Angel for Dry Creek is a great book to start off the series. You really get to know the characters that will be reappearing in future novels. Janet Tronstad has a way of describing characters and letting you in their heads so you feel a connection with them that makes you want to finish the book to see what happens. The setting in Dry Creek is perfect. I want to move there! The author is from Montana and even though Dry Creek is a fictitious place, its description is drawn from other places in Montana to give it a real place feel. Glory Beckett is a girl on the run. When she is too tired to continue on and needs gas and food, she ends up in Dry Creek. She goes to the parsonage to get help when she stumbles onto Matthew Curtis who has stumbled down the steps and hurt himself. His twin boys were getting ready to go out and get help when she came to the door. They immediately think she is an angel. The whole town takes her under their wings. Matthew needs someone to help care for his boys while he’s recuperating, and since he can’t go up and down stairs, it is decided Glory will stay in his room. Matthew’s wife had died from cancer and he feels it was his fault for not keeping her safe. He blames God for taking her away and not answering his prayer. He used to be a minister but stopped when she died. He teaches his boys to pray and talk to God, but he doesn’t participate anymore. Can Glory trust Matthew and the people in the town? Will they turn her in once they find out what is going on? How will Glory help Matthew to see that God didn’t desert him when his wife died? Find out how Glory lives up to her name, Angel, and even becomes one in the Christmas pageant. We all have times when we wonder if God is really there looking out for us, or if it is just us alone. Follow Matthew’s journey as he realizes God is there and does care and loves each of us so much. I highly recommend this book An Angel for Dry Creek. It brings out everyday problems that we face and can relate to mingled in with humor and faith building experiences. You will not want to miss this book by Janet Tronstad.