MEN FIRST AND NOT THE LADIES by Marisa Masterson

Borrowed from Pinterest.

Hoop skirts. Bell-shaped skirts. The nineteenth century introduced these fashions. Did you know women wore up to six petticoats to achieve the bell look?

All those underskirts, as well as the length of the top skirt, made stairs difficult and dangerous. Boys and girls alike received instruction on rules for ascending and descending the stairs. Key to the rule--The man always goes first.

Borrowed from Pinterest

Boys understood they had a special role to play when they became men. They had to walk in front of a woman as she went down the stairs. This saved the woman from embarrassment, should someone see her ankles. She was less likely to fall with the man walking in front of her.

The man would also go first when ascending the stairs. Again, this was to pre
vent him from peeking when the woman lifts her skirts to climb the staircase. 

Rule like this add to a story's historical setting. For me, they take readers to a long-ago time. Here is an example from my next release, Freddy's Sudden Farm:

Reluctantly, Ann Marie pulled her hand out from under Freddy’s. Lifting her skirt and petticoats, she carefully made her way down the stairs. Her mother would have clucked at her for not letting the men go first. Mother taught her to let men always lead when descending the stairs. Doing so preserved a woman’s modesty by hiding what little of her legs she might be forced to show.

Ann Marie knew Emory would not peek. Her claimed brother treated her like family. He did not care about her legs or stockings. Freddy might look, and she hoped it teased him.

 

While the ladies no longer wear six petticoats, this rule is still smart to observe--and not just for men. Many people like me need help on stairs. If you are with someone who does, going down in front of them is a huge assist. I speak from experience.

Available May 29th. Reserve your copy today!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DT1L62ZN

For fans of historical romance and unexpected love stories, "Freddy’s Sudden Farm" is a must-read. If you enjoyed "Montana Rose" by Mary Connealy, you'll love this novel. 

 The Easter Parade: A New York Tradition in Full Bloom

From the 1880s through the 1950s, if you wanted to experience Easter in all its glory, you’d head straight to Fifth Avenue in New York City. That’s where the Easter Parade came to life—a blend of beauty, faith, fashion, and good old-fashioned people-watching.

It all started quietly enough. In the mid-19th century, churches like St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Trinity Episcopal began decorating their sanctuaries with fresh flowers for Easter. The displays became more elaborate each year—lilies, daffodils, roses—and before long, folks were dressing to match the splendor. Sunday best turned into Sunday stunning.

By the 1880s, the parade was no longer just something you saw inside the churches. It spilled out onto the streets. The well-to-do of New York would leave services and stroll up and down Fifth Avenue, turning the city into a living, breathing runway. Everyone came to admire the flowers, yes—but also the hats, gloves, dresses, and suits. Fashion met tradition, and the Easter Parade was born.

Of course, people from all walks of life came to watch. For many, it was a chance to take in the latest styles, catch a whiff of spring in the air, and enjoy a bit of pageantry without needing a ticket. And as the parade grew, so did its commercial appeal. By the turn of the century, retailers had fully embraced Easter as a selling season—pushing hats, gloves, dresses, shoes, and anything else you could think of. What had once been a quiet religious observance had blossomed into a retail powerhouse.

Not everyone was thrilled with the display. During the Great Depression, the contrast between the

parade’s glamour and everyday hardship was hard to ignore. Unemployed workers took to the streets alongside the fashionable crowds, wearing worn-out clothes and carrying signs pointing out the stark differences in wealth. One banner famously noted that the cost of a single Fifth Avenue gown could support a family on welfare for a year.

And then came 1929, when publicist Edward Bernays used the Easter Parade to make a different kind of statement. He hired women to march down Fifth Avenue while smoking “torches of freedom,” challenging social norms and making a bold play for gender equality. It was a PR stunt that made headlines—and it worked. Cigarette sales among women soared, and the parade once again proved it was more than just a pretty walk down the street.

In 1933, Irving Berlin gave the event a musical heartbeat. His song “Easter Parade” captured the spirit of the celebration and went on to become a beloved classic. Fifteen years later, it inspired the movie Easter Parade, starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, sealing the parade’s place in pop culture.

By the mid-20th century, the religious undertones of the event had faded. The Easter Parade became more of a celebration of American prosperity—part pageant, part party. Critics called it excessive. The Saturday Evening Postonce noted that Easter in New York had become less about faith and more about flaunting what you could afford to wear. But the magic didn’t disappear—it just shifted.

Today, the Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival is as delightfully over-the-top as ever. Held on Fifth Avenue from 49th to 57th Street on Easter Sunday, it’s open to everyone. No tickets, no registration—just show up and join in. You’ll see elegant outfits and outrageous costumes, towering bonnets, live birds in cages (yes, really), and everything in between. It’s a celebration of spring, creativity, and community—New York style.

Whether you’re there to strut your stuff, snap photos, or just soak it all in, the Easter Parade remains a joyful tradition that reminds us how a simple walk down the street can become something truly unforgettable.

Until Next Time,

Kit

Look what our authors published in March!

 

Our authors have been busy writing your next favorite story.

Look what we published in March!

 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

 

Mail-Order Millie (A Mail-Order Mystery Book 1)

By Kit Morgan

A Bride
A Spy
And a dead man..

Millie Scott has lost everything, so becoming a mail-order bride seemed like a viable option. Yes, she’d have to marry a stranger, but it was the only way she knew to survive. But when Millie meets and marries her groom, she gets more than she bargained for. A lot more!

A spy for the president, Bram Henry’s next assignment is to arrest and then impersonate mild-mannered yet crooked bookkeeper Bill Krantz. But when the real Krantz meets with an untimely end, and his mail-order bride shows up earlier than expected, his plans of infiltrating a slaver’s operation get thrown out the window. Now he’s married to an unsuspecting mail-order bride who hasn’t a clue he’s not the real Bill Krantz. And wouldn’t you know, she’s not only pretty, but the sort of woman to make him want to quit his job and settle down. He just might. If he can keep them both alive long enough, that is.
(Previously published as part of the Once Upon A Time Historical Box Set)

Release date: March 26, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/Mail-Order-Millie-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B0F2LHCJ6N

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 28, 2025

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

 

 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.

 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   

 

Winna: Prairie Roses Collection - Book 51 Kindle Edition

By Linda Carroll-Bradd

     Since age seventeen, Winna Tiernay Sheehan held her marriage vows sacred and did her best to support her husband, Foley—even when in his “bad tempers,” he hurt her. But the night he goes after their oldest child freezes her willingness to make excuses for her husband’s problem with alcohol. Instead, she flees with her two children to Foley’s cousin, Kai, for protection.
     Kai Sheehan has loved Winna since they attended the same one-room schoolhouse. He detests the way Foley spends more time and attention on his attire than he does on his family. Finally, his heart can take no more, and he makes plans to travel to Council Bluffs and join a westward wagon train. He deserves happiness and that can’t be found anywhere near Winna. Until she arrives on his doorstep with her children in tow, asking for help, stating “I think I killed him.” A bruise blooms on her cheek and her son cradles an injured arm. The next day, they learn Foley died in a barroom shootout.
     Kai agrees to a marriage of convenience to transport the three to central California where another Sheehan family farms. Is Kai strong enough to let them go at journey’s end? When faced with a crucial choice toward the end of the trail, can Winna believe that Kai is as trustworthy as he seems and follow his lead in a different direction?

Release date: April 30, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/Winna-Prairie-Roses-Collection-Book-ebook/dp/B0F318LWD6

May Releases

Mail-Order Mishap Collection

By Kimberly Grist

      Embark on a journey with three brave mail-order brides as they venture west, driven by hope and the promise of a brighter future. Will their quest lead them to love and happiness beneath the Texas sky?
      One of the most delightful aspects of writing is how secondary characters can unexpectedly come to life, eager to tell their own stories. This is evident in a captivating collection of previously published tales about courageous mail-order brides who embark on transformative journeys, driven by the promise of love and a brighter future. Their grooms are men from the fictional town of Tylerville, Texas—a place where faith, family, and caring for one's neighbor are as natural as breathing.
      Book One - Audie’s Audacious Bride- When disappointed hopes collide – Will a wilting mail-order bride muster enough resolve to soften a hardened rancher’s heart?
      Book Two - Bethel: Runaway Brides of The West - A semi-retired bootlegger, Bethel is shaking off the dust of her well-worn boots, not looking back, and hoping for a transformation. All she needs is a new dress, a new town, a husband, and a fresh start.
      Book Three- Abilene: Rescue Me Mail Order Brides- A bootlegger’s daughter and a hard-hearted sheriff go together like moonshine and bad decisions. Will Abilene find a way to penetrate the barriers of the sheriff’s heart?

Release date: May 1, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/Mail-Order-Mishap-Collection-Kimberly-Grist-ebook/dp/B0F2SCV9Y7

 

Sue: Prairie Roses Collection - Book 55

By Zina Abbott

     Susan Hancock, often called Sue, now she lives in Carson City, Nevada, with her stepsister, Lucy, and stepbrother-in-law. She prepares to follow Lucy’s example by furthering her education so she can teach school. Although her studies are challenging, sometimes the greatest pressure others place upon her is to set furthering her education aside in order to choose one of the men—young or old—who seek to claim her as a wife. Like Lucy, she prefers to get her education first and experience being a teacher for at least one year before she settles down. Besides, in spite of the many men flocking to the Carson River Valley, none yet have captured her interest enough to tempt her to give up her goal.
     Thomas Wilcox, a former Union soldier from Kansas, survived the American Civil War—the final five months spent in a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp. Although difficult to stay in touch while moving from one battlefield to the next, he knows both his father and brother—also Union soldiers—are dead. His mother, after the sacking of Lawrence, took his cousin to her father and safety in California. He alone remains in the East. Suffering from the effects of malnutrition and the nightmares he cannot escape, he has lost the desire to farm the land his mother saved for him. He decides, whether or not he regains an enthusiasm for living and a sense of purpose, he prefers to rejoin the family he still has.

Release date: May 5, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXH2SNFH

 

The Senator's Rescue: Rich Man Takes a Bride

By Linda Carroll-Bradd

     Pressured by his influential US senator father, Lockewood Wynn Sedgewick III needs a wife fast to secure his election to the council for the First Wyoming Territory legislature. Locke has always worked best on his own and resents that the image of a married man is more acceptable to voters. He is dedicated to attracting business to the territory and, in the final six weeks of the campaign, will acquiesce to this demand to reach his goal. So, all the bride has to do is look the role and keep her mouth shut.
     Marching for women’s suffrage, Vedia Elbe Jerrold is arrested…again. This time, her father, owner of Jerrold Shipping, has had enough, because her behavior ruined a prestigious contract. Father hires a matchmaker to arrange for a husband to calm his headstrong daughter. Infuriated at her father’s betrayal, she chooses the bachelor who lives the farthest away, hoping the rumors her group has heard about Wyoming Territory leaning toward women’s suffrage. This arrangement might be her best chance at gaining the vote for women…even if she has to relinquish her independence.
     Does a marriage under these fraught circumstances have an inkling of a chance?

Release date: May 7, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/Senators-Rescue-Rich-Takes-Bride-ebook/dp/B0F1L191ZM

 

Freddy's Sudden Farm (Rejected Mail-Order Grooms Book 8)

By Marisa Masterson

      Freddy Albert dreams of escaping from his parents' farm. An advertisement by a woman in Northern California for a husband to help run her livery promises him a fresh start. As he prepares to leave home, everything changes.

     Now Freddy faces a hard decision. He realizes he has no choice but to take on the responsibility of running the farm and providing for his family. Unhappily, he writes to Lottie James, asking her to sell her livery. He proposes she move to Oregon and marry him.
     In California, Ann Marie LeFevre cannot believe her friend's stubbornness. Despite her mail-order groom’s invitation, Lottie refuses to leave California. When her friend tosses Fred’s letters to her and tells her to marry him, Ann Marie quickly accepts the offer. He will be glad for a substitute bride. She is sure of it.
     However, she discovers that the young man—Freddy--who wrote those letters is very different from the man she expected. Sheer optimism will not make the two of them compatible as she had hoped. And Freddy is far from willing to accept a substitute bride, especially one who is older than him and not a bit pretty.
      Will Freddy’s sudden farm keep him from finding love or will he and Ann Marie discover a way to blend their hearts and lives?

Release date: May 29, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DT1L62ZN  

 

Ash: (Gun For Hire Sweet Western Romance Series Book #6) Kindle Edition

By by Jo-Ann Roberts

An outlaw looking for a fresh start.
A schoolteacher who might hold the key to the entire town’s salvation.
     Ash “Shotgun” McCrae can never make up for all the wrong he’s done. After leaving a notorious outlaw gang, he thought he’d discovered the peaceful existence he’d been looking for when he found work laying tracks for the railroad in Rivers Bend. Yet, when trouble shows up in town, he fears he may never free himself from the burden of his past.
     Schoolteacher Kate Cummings stands as the one bright light in contrast to the curious looks and behind-the-glove whispers blowing through the town. The arrival of Padraic “Patch” Rooney and his gang challenges the small-town serenity she holds dear. Still, her steadfast trust in Ash awakens the strength of courage within them all, giving rise to the collective defiance against the approaching danger.
     In a deadly game of dangerous outlaws and secret schemes, Kate and Ash must decide whether they are willing to risk everything for their love, including their lives.

Release date: May 30, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXMWC1PS