A Bride in Store by Melissa Jagears

Mail-order bride Eliza Cantrell intends to surprise her future husband by arriving a week early. She gets her own unpleasant surprise when her train is robbed and the thieves steal all of her inheritance—money she told Axel Langston she had to help him with his store. When she arrives in Kansas with a cut on her cheek given to her by one of the train robbers, William Stanton is called in to patch her up. The attractions Will feels toward Eliza is almost immediate so when he learns she’s his business partner and best friend’s intended, he knows he needs to stay away from her. When she comes into their store with no money, no place to stay, and no help, Will decides to help her. Sparks fly between the two of them until Axel returns and the real trouble begins. Both Eliza and Will have dreams that will take them in different directions—Will wants to become a doctor and Eliza wants to run a successful store. Will they follow the dreams they’ve been chasing or will they find a new dream together?

I have read both the novella and the Melissa Jagear’s other book in this series and this one was by far my favorite (you do not need to read the others to read this one. The few things you might need to know from the previous works are explained in this one). Both of the main characters were well written and endearing in different ways. Will is a tenderhearted man who wants to do what’s best for everyone. You grieve his losses with him. Eliza is a confident woman who’s not afraid of a little work and she is determined to prove her worth. I didn’t want to put the book down once I started. Definitely worth the read.

***Bethany House Publishers provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.