National Women's History Month - Colorado Women

 Post by Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Buffalo Peaks in Colorado
from Wikipedia

March is National Women's History Month. As most of you know, I am fascinated by and have researched a lot about the early women in this county, especially those who were part of the westward expansion west of the Mississippi River. This is in no way a discount to those women who came to this country in the 1600s and 1700s. All women and men who had the courage to make something of their lives and create what we now have deserve to be remembered.

Here is a brief look at some of those early women in Colorado.

1. Martha Maxwell - Naturalist: Martha Ann Maxwell was born in Pennsylvania in 1831. She married widower James Maxwell, who had four children, in 1853. The couple moved to Colorado following the gold rush of 1859. It was while here that Martha began killing and stuffing her own animals. Her work was so lifelike, and her practice of posing them in their natural habitat was unique. Prior to her death in 1881, she wrote the book: "On the Plains and Among the Peaks or How Mrs. Maxwell Made Her Natural History Collection."

Martha Maxwell
Wikipedia

2. Mary Florence Lathrop - Newspaper Reporter, Lawyer: Born in Pennsylvania in 1865, she began her first career as a reporter in Philadelphia. She traveled the world as a reported, and after contracting tuberculous, she moved to Denver, Colorado. There, she attended the University of Denver, where she studied law and graduated in 1896. Her scores for the bar exam remained the highest for the Colorado Bar until 1941. She argued cases in front of the Colorado and US Supreme Courts. She was one of the first two women to be admitted to the American Bar Association in 1917.

Florence Mary Lathrop
Wikipedia

3. Dr. Rose Kidd Beere - Physician: Dr. Beere was born in Indiana in 1859. Her father was a military man stationed in the West after the War Between the States. She married Edmund Burke Beere, an attorney in Las Cruces, NM, in 1883 and had three sons. After the death of her husband, Dr. Beere moved to Chicago, where she studied medicine at Women's Medical College at Northwestern University in Chicago. She graduated in 1892 and moved to Durango, CO., where she practiced prior to moving to Denver. During the Spanish-American War, she went to Manilla with the Red Cross as a nurse since they wouldn't let her go as a doctor. She had told her father since he had no sons to serve in the military, she would go as the family representative in that conflict.

Dr. Rose Kidd Beere
from Find a Grave

4. Marie Guiraud - Rancher: Born in France in 1830, she moved to Colorado via Louisanna, Ohio, and Kansas in 1862. She and her husband homesteaded in Park County, Colorado, in addition to Adolphe running a store in a nearby town. After Adolphe's death in 1875, Marie grew the 640 acres into one of the earliest ranches in Park County. In her obituary in the Fairplay Flume, on June 11, 1909, they wrote the following: "After her husband's death, with a large family of little children and heavy financial reverses, she struggled on and not only kept their property together but prospered well, added to their possessions and accumulated and estate very nearly as great, if not equal, of the largest estate ever built up in Park County."

Image from Find A Grave

For those who would like to know  more, see the links below:

Extra information on Martha Maxwell

Additional information on Mary Florence Lathrop

Obituary of Rose Kidd Beere & Dr. Rose Kidd Beere

Guiraud Fairplay Obituary & Historic Significance of the Ranch & Buffalo Peaks Ranch

Until Next Time

Doris McCraw

Angela Raines - Amazon

Doris A. McCraw - Amazon

 

Henley on Sale Today!

 

For a limited time, my book Henley is on sale for just 99 cents!

Love is a gamble, and heartbreak is a risk she’s willing to take.

Despite her dreams to set down roots, Henley Jones has never had a place to call home. She’s spent her life on riverboats and railroad cars, tagging along with her gambling father. A shoot-out during a card game results in his death, leaving Henley alone and nearly penniless. Out of luck and options, Henley agrees to travel across the country to the newly established town of Holiday, Oregon, to marry a stranger.

A demanding practice in a town clawing its way to respectability keeps Doctor Evan Holt rushing at a hectic pace. He’s far too busy to see to pressing matters like hiring competent help or finding a wife. When one of his patients orders a mail-order bride, Evan can’t decide if the man is crazy or brilliant. From the moment he meets her, Evan battles an unreasonable attraction to the beautiful, charming woman who seems to be hiding something from her past.

In a town flush with possibilities, will taking a chance on love end with heartache or a winning hand? Find out in this sweet western romance full of humor, hope, and love.

~*~

I thought it might be fun to share some quotes from the book.

The West was overflowing with gamblers.

They gambled on their dreams, and hopes, and families.

They gambled on opportunities to create better lives, or become better versions of themselves.

Most importantly, they gambled in the high-stakes game of love,

putting their hearts on the line, with no idea if they’d win or lose.

~*~

The child was as cooperative as a drunken donkey in a dynamite shack.

~*~

I’m starting to think there are rocks and tree stumps

smarter than Evan Holt.

~*~

Love might be the toughest gamble you’ll make, but it’s worth the risk.

Order your copy of Henley today!

It’s available on Amazon in digital and paperback formats, and you can read it in Kindle Unlimited!

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield grew up on a farm where her childhood brimmed with sunshine, hay fever, and an ongoing supply of learning experiences.

Shanna creates character-driven romances with realistic heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

When this award-winning author isn’t writing or testing out new recipes (she loves to bake!), Shanna hangs out at home in the Pacific Northwest with her beloved husband, better known as Captain Cavedweller.

The Circus Mule that inspired a beloved recipe

 By Kimberly Grist

Pioneers learned to alter food recipes according to their available resources. During the Civil War, people were introduced to the idea that they could eat their horse's oats. When pecans were in short supply, oatmeal pie was a good substitute for Southern pecan pie. Shoo-Fly Pie was another recipe created using readily available everyday food staples.

Origination


The origin of the recipe began in 1876 as Centennial Cake to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Two Versions

The very nature of the main ingredient, sticky-sweet molasses, is enough to imagine why it might attract a fly or two that one would need to shoo. The recipe has two versions. The dry-bottom pie, similar to a coffee cake, is guessed to be the original version. The wet-bottom pie is baked in a pastry crust with a gooey cake-like bottom and a crumb-streusel-like topping. 

Shoofly the Boxing Mule

A Lancaster trading card depicting Shoofly the Boxing Mule. Courtesy of William Woys Weaver

The most widely accepted explanation for the name "Shoofly pie" is that it originated from a popular brand of molasses in the 19th century. Shoofly molasses, along with Shoofly flour and Shoofly horse powder, was named after a mule named Shoofly, who was part of a boxing circus that toured southeastern Pennsylvania in that era. The mule's name was inspired by the well-known song "Shoo-Fly, Don't Bother Me." Consequently, the mule's name became associated with various ingredients used in making Shoofly pie.

https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/scriptorium/sheetmusic/b/b04/b0409/b0409-1-72dpi.html

Shoofly the  Folk Song

"Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me," also known as "Shew Fly," is a folk song that originated in the 1860s and has remained popular ever since. During the Spanish-American War of 1898, soldiers sang this song to cope with the many flies and mosquitoes that spread diseases, such as Yellow Fever. Today, it is most commonly sung by children.

What Else is Cooking? It Must Be Romance.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C7JC1LBC

Travel back in time as six brave young women, bound by their experience after surviving a Yellow Fever epidemic, leave the hills of Tennessee and travel West as mail-order brides. Fans of Western historical romance set in the late 19th century will root for each potential bride as she starts her adventure, seeking refuge and a chance for a new life. Will their quest lead them to love and happiness underneath the Texas sky?

Connect with Kimberly:

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Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Grist/e/B07H2NTJ71

The Rich Man Takes a Bride

 Hello! Kit Morgan here, and today I want to talk about a brand new series that contains stories not only set in the old west, but all over the United States. 

If you're not familiar with what's known as a multi-author project, then read and learn. Occasionally, someone comes up with a brilliant idea for a series, but there are too many great stories to write for one author. So they invite other authors to write in their newly invented story world. These are a ton of fun to participate in. One learns the vision of the story world, what sort of lead characters it contains, and then comes up with a story for it. The books all have the same general theme, and each author crafts a story near and dear to their heart for the series. Characters in each book might know some of the character in other books in the series, or they might not. 

My current work in progress is in such a series. It's called The Rich Man Takes a Bride, and all of the heroes are not only rich, but they also have issues that the heroine is able to help with. Love is powerful, and in the case of the heroes in this series, it has to be!

My book doesn't involve cowboys, though the hero comes from a town out west, and grew up on a small ranch. So he's done his share of cowboying when he was a lad. Now he's in Boston, running the biggest shipping company on the eastern seaboard. And has his hands in a few other things, all to protect the company's assets. He's had to pose as a smuggler, a pirate, and even did some privateering for the government. All a far cry from his days in his hometown of Clear Creek in Oregon. 

Here's a little more about the book:

Captain Asher Stone left his little town of Clear Creek, Oregon years ago to manage the Van Cleet Shipping Company. He's always been detail oriented and good with numbers, so when Cyrus Van Cleet offered him the job, he took it. Over the next eight years Ashton discovered he was good at other things too. Like spying and privateering. But what's a little extra work? After all, between his three jobs, he's managed to procure his own ship. But now he'd like to settle down, find a wife, start a family. Unfortunately for him, he's got a few slight obstacles in the way. For one, someone is spreading viscous rumors that he's a smuggler. And two, the one woman that really catches his eye, accuses him of ruining her family during his privateering days. But she's got it all wrong, and he aims to set the record straight with the pretty spitfire.

Elodie Carlson finally has the name of the man that ruined her family. Captain Asher Stone. And she's determined to bring him to justice! But when she finally gets the chance to confront him, he of course denies any involvement and barely remembers the name of her father's ship! In fact, he's just as determined to prove his innocence as she is to prove he's guilty. And blast it! Wouldn't you know his explanation as to what might have really happened makes sense? But to prove it they'll have to work together to bring the real culprits to light, and see them arrested. Can she bear working with a man she's not sure she can trust? Worse, can she work with a cowboy turned sea captain without losing her heart?
Find out in this sweet historical that's full of pure fun and romance!

So if you're up for some adventure, check out The Rich Man Takes a Bride Series. You can find the books on Amazon.

A HOMETOWN BOY IN DEADWOOD by Marisa Masterson

 Research drives what I write. Setting a book in Old Deadwood means I had to research. Of course!

What I learned surprised me! John Manning, the sheriff who set out to clean up Deadwood, came from my area of Wisconsin. He grew up in my grandmother's hometown, Highland. Why, that made him something like a neighbor.

Manning is a character in my next novel, releasing this Thursday. Character is a good way to describe him. He co-owned the Senate Saloon where Jack McCall shot Wild Bill Hickok. 

But don't lump him in with other saloon owners like Al Swearengen. He was a man who wanted stability brought to Deadwood. His efforts made him an excellent lawman to include in my story. Just the man I needed to help with the secret Ross Kirwan, my hero, is living.

From The Bride Who Mines Gold:

Men in chains! Althea saw them as the stagecoach rolled to a stop. The sight did not fit
with her idea of a mining town.

Those men all held shovels. Some moved mud, filling in ruts. Others laid loose stone on top of the filled holes. They tapped down the rocks.

“Manning, what do you have those men doing?”

At Luke’s call, a short man with hair slicked back around a balding head turned. He grinned above his shaggy goatee. “Must be spring. Voorhees and his stage are back.”

“Yeah, and I’m wondering if you have a set of manacles or maybe another set of those chains.”

Manning glanced to his right. He tipped his head toward the men as his gaze met that of another man with a star on his vest. He also held a shotgun. Althea guessed he was Manning’s deputy.

After the deputy nodded, Sheriff Manning stepped toward the coach. “Had trouble?”

“Yep, and I have one of the gang members with me.”

Butch had approached. At Luke’s words, he backed up a step and then two. When he turned to run, Joey stuck out a booted boot. The escaping man landed face first in the mud. Both Bill and Joey put a foot on the man’s back to keep him there.

“Your driver? How do you know he’s in Heally’s gang?”

At the mention of the name, Butch twitched and pushed upward. Bill threw himself onto the man’s back. He grabbed an arm and twisted it behind Butch’s back.

“How about those handcuffs, Sheriff?”

At Bill’s gruff question, one that was more command than query, Manning stepped forward to hand the manacles to Joey. “You boys are already dirty. My Frankie doesn’t like me bringing home muddy clothing.”

Althea spoke before she thought. “Is Frankie your son?”

Manning’s laugh made even the chain gang stop. A shout had them once more using their shovels. The people crowding near resumed walking up and down the street.

She was relieved not to have the attention focused on them. The sheriff’s lips twitched with humor as he explained, “Frankie’s my wife.”

 

The Gem Theater, Circa 1878

Later in the book, Manning comes up against Al Swearengen. The famous brothel owner ran The Gem, a wild and wildly popular, uh, place in Deadwood. 

It's said that in its heyday, Swearengen earned ten thousand dollars each night from The Gem. Even Calamity Jane danced as part of the entertainment in that place. 

Again, from The Bride Who Mines Gold:

The door burst open, bouncing off the wall. “Sheriff!” a man shouted.

“Lou, what do you mean coming in here like that?”

“You’d best come. Mrs. Doc and Al Swearengen are goin’ at it. She’s aiming that little gun of hers at him.”

Manning paused and looked toward Ross. “You don’t suppose Al—”

Ross knocked over the chair as he broke into a run.

In the street, he immediately sized up the situation. Three women wedged themselves into the mouth of a blind alley. Not only did Mrs. Doc have her pocket gun but also Mrs. Manning was there, pointing a large navy revolver at a well-dressed man with golden hair. Blondie stood behind both women.

They formed a human fence. The sheriff’s wife curled her lips back as if she were a dog who bared its fangs. Mrs. Doc glared at the bunch.

“I don’t doctor anyone I shoot, boys. Remember that.”

If the situation had not been tense, Ross might have laughed at Dr. Elsie’s promise. Dr. Elsie Marsh, or Mrs. Doc, was a whirlwind of determination. Being healthy, he only knew her by rumor. What men said about her told him she would not back down from a challenge or a cause.

The woman’s belly slightly protruded, forming another barrier between the blond man and Althea. At her side, the sheriff’s wife had a baby swaddled to her chest.

“This is a good woman. You leave her alone.”

Hoots of laughter erupted at how Frankie Manning described Althea. “Good, huh? Why’s she dressed like a man?”

Ross recognized Ernie Schmidt’s voice. He had been at the mine with Heally and Arnie. Here he was, causing more trouble.

Another man yelled. “Why’s she livin’ with a man? Let Swearengen have her.”

It is wild doings in Deadwood. One would think life up on the mountain, in the woods, would be quieter. One would be wrong. 

But you will have to read my book to find out more...

Available March 6 on Amazon. Free in KU.

About the Book:

More than gold lies hidden in Deadwood. A woman discovers danger and romance in The Black Hills.

Althea Mills receives a terse note informing her of her father’s death. His partner adds no words of sympathy or mentions Mr. Mills’ share of their claim. She knows the men have been successful. Her father had been sending money each month to support her and her mother, so there must be gold in Deadwood.

Desperate not to lose the money needed to support Ma, she decides on a plan. Althea will head west to mine her share of the claim. Selling everything they own, she and her mother board a train for Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Winter keeps them in Cheyenne. While there, her mother marries. Althea must continue alone.

Once the mountain passes thaw, Althea takes the Cheyenne & Deadwood Stage to head for her mine. As she travels, her confidence grows. What could go wrong?

Close to Deadwood, bandits stop the stage and steal from the passengers. One man meets her gaze. Althea is sure she has never seen greener eyes, eyes she will remember.

Ross Kirwan has a problem. His employee’s daughter arrives, claiming her father was his partner. She expects to mine the gold on his claim. Her appearance forces him to do something he did not plan to do—he must truly mine his claim.

The situation grows worse when a man tries to sell Althea to a Deadwood brothel owner. Only quick action and Ross’ claim to be her fiancé stops it. A forced marriage follows, with the bride vowing to make it temporary. Is that what they want, an annulment?

Will his secret bring an end to their convenient marriage, or will she see him as the man she would have chosen?

Click to reserve your copy!

Look what our authors published in February!

 

Our authors have been busy writing your next favorite story.

Look what we published in February!

 

Lawmen and Love: Sweet and Wholesome Western Romances

By Shanna Hatfield

Three tough lawmen aren’t prepared for the moment when love arrives and turns their worlds upside down.

This boxed set contains three full-length sweet and wholesome romances full of heart, humor, and hope featuring courageous women and brave men who uphold the law.

♥ Corsets and Cuffs – He never knew trouble had such a pretty face. She never knew the law could be so handsome and hardheaded.

♥ Caterina - She’s hiding her past. He’s determined to reveal the truth.

♥ Distracting the Deputy- He’s sworn to uphold the law. Her life is riddled with closely guarded secrets. When the past catches up to her, will she rush to him or run away?

Release date: February 2, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DVSVL6BL

 

Maude Ropes the Sheriff (Uncertain Sweethearts Book 4)

By Marisa Masterson

A heartbroken man advertises for a substitute. Can he handle the woman who arrives?

Desperate to replace the woman he loved and lost, Sheriff Jeff Ritter places an advertisement for a bride. Little does he know that the woman who arrives will be more than he bargained for.

The small town of Fox Creek is the perfect setting for this unexpected romance. With its dusty streets and tight-knit community, it's the ideal place for Jeff to marry and start a family. But when Maude Connelly steps off the train, Jeff is taken aback. She is not at all what he expected.

Maude is a woman with a lot on her plate. Her troublesome brothers need a strong man to take them in hand, and she's determined to find a man who can handle them. So when she sees Jeff's advertisement for a sheriff in search of a wife, she knows she's found the perfect solution. But as she soon discovers, Jeff is not the easiest man to please.

With his gruff demeanor and stubborn ways, Jeff is not the type of man Maude was hoping for. And to make matters worse, his childhood enemy arrives in town, claiming ownership of the land where Fox Creek is built. As tensions rise and the future of the town hangs in the balance, Jeff must work to save the town even when it takes him further away from his mail-order fiancée.

When an illness allows them to spend more time together, Jeff starts to see Maude in a different light. She may not be the blonde beauty he initially wanted, but her determination and strength make her the perfect partner.

Can he convince her to give him a chance, despite his initial rejection? And will they defeat their common enemy and save Fox Creek before it's too late?

Release date: February 4, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/Maude-Ropes-Sheriff-Uncertain-Sweethearts-ebook/dp/B0DD7SB7N9

 

The Bride Who Tends Sheep: The Bride Who Series Book #3

By Linda Carroll-Bradd

Fall 1876, Colorado 

Arrosa Cristobal tends a flock of fifty sheep on government land near the city of Glendale. She stays as close to town as she can to check in with her laundress mother who she helps support until her death a month earlier. A ransacking of her caravan while she visited town makes Arrosa feel vulnerable. She sets out on the thirty-five mile trip to Spur Springs to join her estranged brother, Jakombe. Maybe they can combine their herds.

Cameron McPherson, a Scottish rancher, is the head of the Spur Springs cattleman group. He’s struggled to keep the members in check from attempting to push out the Cristobal sheep ranch on the outskirts of town. But when he sees a new unfamiliar flock drawing close, he has to confront this interloper and hopefully steer her and her flock away from town before another rancher sees her. But the minute he meets her and hears where she is headed, he hesitates, not wanting to be the one who informs her of Jakome’s death. His protective instincts rise toward this woman who appears to be all alone in the world.

Can these two strong individuals on the opposite sides of grazing rights find common ground?

This is a clean and wholesome story about passionate characters who struggle to understand the other’s perspectives but strive to because of the developing feelings toward one another.

Release date: February 6, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/Bride-Who-Tends-Sheep-Book-ebook/dp/B0DRWCKKM5

 

Mrs. Pettigrew's Valentine's Match (Holiday Matchmakers Book 3)

By Kit Morgan

A young woman down on her luck.
A Pinkerton trying to crack a case.
And of course, one meddling matchmaker…

     Hattie Winslow got the boot. Evicted during the coldest part of winter, she and her half brother and sister must face the elements and pray they don’t starve or freeze to death. Then, a miracle happens. Hattie almost gets the boot again! Only this time from a bookshop being visited by Mrs. Adelia Pettigrew! The eccentric matchmaker takes Hattie to her mansion and tries her best to take care of her. But Hattie doesn’t trust anyone, and her stubbornness lands her in the cold again. Now she’s put herself right back where she started.
     River Forsythe solves a case for Mrs. Pettigrew, only to uncover a larger mystery. Determined to solve it, he tracks down a young woman and her two siblings in a dire situation and decides to hide them with Mrs. Pettigrew. Hattie Winslow has been through a lot, and River wants to ease her pain. But in doing so, he begins to lose his heart. If Hattie has a hard time accepting help from the likes of Mrs. Pettigrew, will she ever accept his growing affection for her? Find out in this sweet historical western that is pure fun and romance!

Release date: February 6, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DWH248G5

 

Miss Philly (The Brides of Fiddler's Gap Book 10)

By Kit Morgan

An adventurous young woman
A man with a quiet life
And one infuriating newspaper column…
     Philadelphia Dearborn craves adventure and loves to write. She also wants her father’s approval. For too long the newspaper owner hasn’t taken her seriously as a writer. So, she comes up with a brilliant plan to get him to take notice. She becomes a mail-order bride and plans to chronicle each step of what happens to her!
     Leander Moore lives a quiet life in Fiddler’s Gap, and enjoys quiet evenings at home with a good book. But when his mail-order bride finally arrives and announces she’s going to chronicle their entire marriage, he goes round the bend. Worse, her father’s paper is in Philadelphia, where his parents live. The last thing they’ll want is to have everyone know their son’s private business! Leander is faced with a choice. Give his bride a chance to give up her madcap idea or send her straight back to Philadelphia.
     Enjoy this sweet historical western full of pure fun and romance!

Release date: January 24, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DV42WF8X

 

Miss Clementine (The Brides of Fiddler's Gap Book 11)

By Kit Morgan

A Young Woman who's lost everything
A Young Man who's given up hope
And a Sea Captain in disguise...
     Imagine Captain Stanley Finbar Merriweather’s surprise when in one day he finds out that he not only has a grandniece who’s on her way to live with him, but a son! Imagine Clementine Potts’ surprise when she finds out her grand uncle wants to whisk her off to some nothing of a town called Fiddler’s Gap to see her wed! But Fiddler’s Gap has more than a few bachelors available, it is also the home of her Great Uncle Stanley’s son.
     Tensions are high when Great Uncle Stanley insists he travel incognito. For all he knows, his son Ives would be better off not knowing him. But a man of his word, he’s also determined to find Clementine a husband, even if it is in the same town where his son lives. But can he hold out long enough to see the job done? Can she? Add a couple of suspicious townspeople, not to mention Wells Fargo agents, and poor Stanley and Clementine have their hands full trying to keep up their ruse! But worst of all, what if Hansen Merlot, the young man Clementine is falling for finds out? Will everything fall apart?

Release date: February 23, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DY721HW5

 

 Not all of our authors make their books available on pre-order. For those who do, those advance sales go a long way to help their book ratings.
Below are some future books.

 March Releases:

The Bride Who Mines Gold: The Bride Who Book 5

by Marisa Masterson

More than gold lies hidden in Deadwood. A woman discovers danger and romance in The Black Hills

Henrietta Mills receives a terse note informing her of her father’s death. His partner does add one word of sympathy or mention Mr. Mills’ share of their claim. She knows the men have been successful. Her father had been sending money each month to support her and her mother, so there must be gold in Deadwood.

Desperate not to lose the money needed to support Ma, Henrietta lands on a plan. She will head west and mine her share of the claim. Selling everything they own, she and her mother board a train for Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Mrs. Mills’ health keeps her in Cheyenne. Content with Ma’s situation, Henrietta takes the Cheyenne & Deadwood Stage to head for her mine. As she travels, her confidence grows. What could go wrong?
Close to Deadwood, bandits stop the stage and steal from the passengers. One man meets her gaze. Henrietta is sure she has never seen greener eyes, eyes she will remember.

Ross Kirwan has a problem. His partner’s daughter arrives, demanding to mine the gold on his claim. This forces him to do something he did not plan to do—he must truly mine. Worse yet, he is sure she recognizes him from the stagecoach robbery.

Things worsen when Henrietta nearly becomes a prisoner in a Deadwood brothel. Only quick action and Ross’ vow that she is his fiancée keeps her safe. A forced marriage follows, with the bride and groom vowing to make it temporary. Is that what they want, an annulment?

Will his secret endanger his new bride? What will it take for Ross to tell her the truth? Will that truth bring an end to their convenient marriage or will he see she is the bride he would have chosen?

Release date: March 6, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/Bride-Who-Mines-Gold-Book-ebook/dp/B0DGQRV14P

 

The Captain's Rescue: The Rich Man Takes a Bride, #6

By Kit Morgan

     Captain Asher Stone left his little town of Clear Creek, Oregon years ago to manage the Van Cleet Shipping Company. He's always been detail oriented and good with numbers, so when Cyrus Van Cleet offered him the job, he took it. Over the next eight years Ashton discovered he was good at other things too. Like spying and privateering. But what's a little extra work? After all, between his three jobs, he's managed to procure his own ship. But now he'd like to settle down, find a wife, start a family. Unfortunately for him, he's got a few slight obstacles in the way. For one, someone is spreading viscous rumors that he's a smuggler. And two, the one woman that really catches his eye, accuses him of ruining her family during his privateering days. But she's got it all wrong, and he aims to set the record straight with the pretty spitfire.
      Elodie Carlson finally has the name of the man that ruined her family. Captain Asher Stone. And she's determined to bring him to justice! But when she finally gets the chance to confront him, he of course denies any involvement and barely remembers the name of her father's ship! In fact, he's just as determined to prove his innocence as she is to prove he's guilty. And blast it! Wouldn't you know his explanation as to what might have really happened makes sense? But to prove it they'll have to work together to bring the real culprits to light, and see them arrested. Can she bear working with a man she's not sure she can trust? Worse, can she work with a cowboy turned sea captain without losing her heart?
     Find out in this sweet historical that's full of pure fun and romance!

Release date: March 19, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DVBG13J2

Mail-Order Preacher: Healing Husbands Kindle Edition

By P. Creeden

Part of the Healing Husband Series.
Even independent women need a helping hand now and then. More than muscles and rugged good looks, our brides need handy husbands, and only the Honorable, Healing, and Hopeful need apply... but is that truly what they'll get?
Release date: March 20, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DML22SCY

 

The Mine Owner's Rescue: The Rich Man Takes a Bride, Book #7

By Zina Abbott

Given a choice between two despicable options, she needs to flee. He struck it rich with his mine, but what about his choice of a wife?
     To get away from her parents’ pressure to accept marriage to a lecher, Abigail Belcher begins corresponding with prospective husbands living far from Columbus, Ohio. Once her parents threaten a course of action to force her to comply—one her best friend earlier warned could happen—she knows she must act fast. She had planned to break off her correspondence with Theodore Reynolds. He seemed nice enough but a mine owner? A gold miner who lives in an isolated mining camp that is miles from the nearest town of any size? However, his is the first offer she receives, so she accepts. The prospect does not excite her, but it beats the alternative. She prays she will find a way to fit in and be happy—and not leave him regretting he chose her as his wife.
     After years of hard work prospecting south of Turnback Creek in Tuolumne County’s East Gold Belt country, Ted Reynolds finally built up enough capital to develop his hard rock mine, the Lucky Nugget Mine, which has made him a rich man. Although his is only one of many mines that now cover the region around Summersville, one thing about the region has not changed—a shortage of suitable women from which to choose a wife. He just hopes the woman from Columbus, Ohio, he found through the Matrimonial Gazette can adapt to the still wild and tumble ways of gold country. A bigger concern? Why the rush to join him? Is she running from something or hoping to cover an indiscretion? Hopefully, his luck will hold.

Release date: March 26, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DWVX2XS3

 

April Releases:

Mail-Order Apothecary: Healing Husbands Kindle Edition

By Linda Carroll-Bradd

     Living on a Montana cattle ranch is not the adventure Fenella Douglas Macauley imagined it would be. First, Tavish, the man who swept her off her feet in a whirlwind romance, died in a stampede before their six month anniversary. Now the headaches that started shortly after her arrival have become worse. Stuck living with a disapproving Teva, Tavish’s twin, who oversees the ranch operations, Fenella sinks into melancholy. After being laid flat for days in a row, she puts an ad in a matrimonial newspaper seeking a mail-order husband with the skills to heal her.
     Barth Atherton needs to make a change…and fast. His boss at the apothecary shop made a mistake that almost caused a death, and he’s blaming it on Barth. An ad in a matrimonial newspaper catches his eye and he answers it. As he leaves town, he submits a sworn affidavit to the sheriff about the circumstance. When he arrives at the Macauley Ranch, he falls into a mystery. His new wife is ill, and he has to figure out the cause before the beautiful lady who captured his heart wastes away. Are his skills strong enough?

Release date: April 24, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DGMGZ33X