Showing results by narrator "Lara Asmundson" in All Categories

The well-educated daughter of a lawyer, Trudy Bauer arrives at the St. Louis based Mail-Order Brides of the West agency full of excitement for an adventure of a lifetime. She befriends the agency's maid, Evie Davenport, and the two form a strong and lasting friendship. They vow to stay in contact through letters when Evie takes hold of her destiny and arranges a marriage on the sly. Each brave young woman is ready to face whatever an unknown groom and life in Montana can throw her way.

Plain and timid, debutante Pamela Burke-Smythe is a wallflower at the high-society Boston balls she attends, overlooked by possible suitors. One by one her friends become engaged, and Pamela resigns herself as to life as a spinster.

Bridget O'Donnell left Ireland, dragging along her reluctant twin sister, Alana, to create a better life in the new world. The sisters travel to Sweetwater Springs, Montana, intending to live with their uncle's family. Upon arrival, their plans are derailed by news of their aunt's illness. James Whitson, a cowboy on the Thompson ranch, is in town to drop off a letter at the train station. When he meets the twins, he's immediately smitten with Bridget.

The well-educated daughter of a lawyer, Trudy Bauer, arrives at the St. Louis based Mail-Order Brides of the West agency full of excitement for an adventure of a lifetime. She befriends the agency's maid, Evie Davenport, and the two form a strong and lasting friendship. They vow to stay in contact through letters when Evie takes hold of her destiny and arranges a marriage on the sly. Each brave young woman is ready to face whatever an unknown groom and life in Montana can throw her way.

Beautiful, wealthy, and sophisticated, opera star Sophia Maxwell is living the life of her dreams. As the Songbird of Chicago, she's lauded for her pure, rich voice and has a constant circle of admirers vying for her jaded attention. Then she loses her voice during a performance. Her doctor warns her to rest her larynx, or she'll never sing again. Devastated, Sophia retreats to the frontier town of Sweetwater Springs to stay with her sister. She's determined to recover and once again take the stage by storm.

Mail-order-bride-to-be Heather Stanford dreads the day the matron of the St. Louis bridal agency finds her a husband and sends her west. Heather actually has no desire to marry; she just wants to free her struggling family from the financial burden of another mouth to feed. Still, she holds true to her plan when the fateful day arrives and Mrs. Seymour sings the praises of her prospective groom.

K.C. Granger is the sheriff of Sweetwater Springs. Red Charlie is a Blackfoot Indian and the blacksmith of Sweetwater Springs. When reports of Indian thievery begin, K.C. enlists Red Charlie as her deputy, even traveling with him to the nearest reservation and taking needed supplies for the starving people. The two of them settle into a comfortable working relationship. K.C. doesn’t know what to do with the womanly emotions of love she grows to feel for her deputy, and Red Charlie believes a relationship with an Indian will only bring trouble to the woman he admires.

Come celebrate the holidays in 1895 Sweetwater Springs, Montana, as 10 western romance authors join New York Times best-selling author Debra Holland in telling 14 short stories of love and laughter, heartbreak and healing, and most of all, Christmas joy.

In 1894, Lily Maxwell, aspiring painter, travels to Sweetwater Springs, Montana, with her precious cocker spaniel to work on an artistic project that could launch her career. After Tyler rescues Lily's dog from being swept away by the river, Lily develops a friendship with him. Yet the two of them dare not give in to their feelings for each other. Can these lonely souls find their hearts' desires under the majestic Montana Sky?

These holiday stories are about various kinds of Christmas love - the romance between a man and a woman, the devotion of a husband to his wife's memory, and the love of a child for her goose. You'll hear about familiar characters from Sweetwater Springs and come to know new ones - many of whom you'll see again in future Montana Sky Series books and novellas.

Focused on her plan to win Adam back, Bridgette isn't expecting Ian - her college best friend, her love, her big regret - to come back into her life. They sink back into their comfortable friendship as if no time has passed at all, making Bridgette start to question her feelings for Adam. But Ian has a few secrets of his own...secrets that could shatter their friendship once and for all. Bridgette has to make some major decisions - should she speak now? Or forever hold her peace?

Jilted seamstress Constance Taylor travels to Sweetwater Springs to live with her estranged father, the livery stable owner. She plans to open a dressmaking shop and bring sophisticated clothing styles to the frontier town. Doctor Angus Cameron is bitter and discouraged from his work with upper-class Londoners and the wretched poor in the East End slums. He arrives in Sweetwater Springs to join the medical practice of his brother, the town doctor. Sparks fly when Constance and Angus clash over her fashionable creations, which he believes are unhealthy.

Shrewish Prudence Crawford is the last woman left at the Mail-Order Brides of the West Agency, because she's rejected every match offered to her as not good enough. One-by-one, she's watched her fellow brides leave for their new lives and has heard tales of their happiness, and she wants that for herself - but not just any man. She will only take a husband who offers wealth and status. Can Michael Morgan tame the shrew, or are they destined to have a miserable marriage?

Single mom Angela Hudson thought she was ready to dip her toe in the dating waters again after her marriage imploded, but as her dates turn out disastrous, she wonders if this is really worth it. Especially when she's more attracted to the handsome coffee shop barista than any of her dates.

After nearly dying in an assassination attempt, Princess Alessandra of Glorvaird escapes to a place no one would ever think to look for her: small-town Oklahoma and a ranch staffed by a herd of woolly, uncouth cowboys. One cowboy in particular gets under her skin, until she sees his softer side. She knows this interlude can’t last forever, but that doesn’t stop her from wishing it might....

By her eighteenth year, Maelyn rules over Runa and a family of nine sisters. But some call the princesses frauds and imposters, a handful of urchins raised into royalty. Even Uncle Jarrod, the High King of Grunwold, seems determined to prove that Maelyn no longer deserves to be a princess. With a family losing faith in her, and a kingdom growing dangerously hostile, even Maelyn begins to wonder if she is truly a real princess. And if her riches will turn to rags once again...

After nearly dying in an assassination attempt, Princess Alessandra of Glorvaird escapes to a place no one would ever think to look for her: small town Oklahoma and a ranch staffed by a herd of wooly, uncouth cowboys. One cowboy in particular gets under her skin, until she sees his softer side. She knows this interlude can't last forever, but that doesn't stop her from wishing it might.

Jocelyn Larsen returns to Virginia for the first time since she was a little girl to oversee repairs on her family's old river house. It feels like it’s been at least that long since she followed her heart, rather than a carefully laid plan. With room to breathe and time to think, she hopes for the chance to reflect on a life she’s uncertain she still wants for herself. When she is reunited with Jack, her childhood bully, her intentions to relax and recenter herself are threatened by feelings she is resolved to get under control.

When a logging accident kills his friend and Felicity Woodbury’s fiancé, Lars Aagaard steps in to lend his support. To keep Felicity’s suitors at bay during her mourning period, the two act as if Lars is wooing her. But, already smitten, Lars hopes to turn the pretend courtship to real love.

Ten years ago, Kayla Campbell made the biggest mistake of her life. She thought the hasty Vegas marriage had been annulled, only to find out she was wrong. So wrong. Desperate to house a needy foster kid, she's forced to request help from the one man she promised herself to forget - ranch foreman Nate O'Malley. Nate has waited years for his chance to make things right with Kayla. He was a 20-year-old kid when he let her get away - and he's regretted it ever since.