Train Station Bride: Prairie Romance

Crawford Family, Book 1

By: Holly Bush

Narrated by: Meghan Kelly

Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Crawford Family Series: Book 1 - 1887 Debutante, Julia Crawford endures a lifetime of subtle ridicule as the plump, silly daughter of a premiere Boston family. Julia strikes out on her own to gain independence, traveling to the Midwest to marry an aging shopkeeper and care for his mother. Julia finds her new home rough and uncivilized after the sophistication of a big city, while closely held secrets threaten to ruin Julia’s one chance at love.

Jake Shelling was sixteen and grew up quick when his parents died from influenza on the South Dakota prairie. Left with a half-cleared farm and two young sisters, he spent little time on his own needs . . . until now. At thirty-five, he figured it was high time to have some sons and a mail order bride would suit him just fine. No expectations of love, just a helpmate from sturdy stock, ready for farm life.

Will fate and chance play a trick on Julia and Jake?

©2012 Holly Bush (P)2015 Holly Bush

Unique Twist to Mail Order Bride Books

I've enjoyed many Mail Order Bride books, but Holly Bush has written one of the best I have read/listen to.

It has a fresh approach with some surprises along the way. With so much being said in the introduction of the book I will say no more, not wanting to spoil it for readers.

I highly recommend listening to "Train Station Bride"; it is well worth a credit, or paying the purchase price.

Wonderful historical romance western

Any additional comments?

Train Station Bride: Prairie Romance by Holly Bush is a good old fashioned western romance. The story centers around Julia Crawford who, being 27 years-old and unwed, is an embarrassment to her blue-blooded Bostonian family. Julia's mother and older sister try to set her up with prospective suitors who are old, unattractive and rude. Finally being fed up with her family's poor treatment, Julia decides to respond to an ad in the paper for a bride by a South Dakota shopkeeper. She secretly takes the train to Cedar Ridge and mistakenly marries Jake Shelling instead. Jake is a farmer who raised his two sisters following their parents' deaths; and now that they're both married he's ready to marry himself. Jake ordered a mail order bride himself and showed up with a preacher by his side, who married them on the train platform among the hustle and bustle.

The rest of the story is Julia basically finding her self esteem and realizing her self worth. Life is not easy for Julia at first primarily because South Dakota seems uncivilized compared to the sophistication of Boston. But Julia is caring and has a can-do spirit. Jake is honest and, unconsciously, in need of someone to show him attention for a change. The secondary characters (Jake's family) enhance the story with their warmth, friendship and faith that Julia is exactly what Jake needs.

I listened to the Audible version of this story narrated by Meghan Kelly. She did an outstanding job, providing distinct and consistent voices for all characters, young and old. Meghan's narration certainly contributed to my enjoyment of this book. Great job!

Train Station Bride

This is a good book. It is interesting and has plenty of twist and turns and keeps you wandering. I recommend this book I enjoyed it. Holly Bush wrote an interesting book and Meagan kelly did an excellent job narraiting this book

Too explicit for my taste

It was a good story line but not a christian romance. I have read other books from this author so I was surprised about by explicit sex scenes. To me it takes away from the story not add to it.

Terrific!!!

Such an incredible story! This author has other great novels out there, but this was the first audio book of hers I have heard, and it did not disappoint. The performance from the narrator was excellent, I hope for more of her books to be released to audio real soon. Use the credit and check this one out!!

Train station bride review

What did you love best about Train Station Bride: Prairie Romance?

The narration, and the historical location it was set in.

What did you like best about this story?

The main character.

Which scene was your favorite?

The introducing scene.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Enjoyable.

Loved it!

This is a wonderful story. There were lots of smiles and lots of tears. I loved it!

I loved it

I got this audio book for free. I liked the cover, so why not. I listened to it. I have to say, I was not expecting the twists and turns or unbelievableness. I know that's not a word, but it should be. Many times I found myself yelling at the narrator "are you kidding me", "that's right, tell him!". This was a great book. It was complex and I loved all the characters in the book. I look forward to reading or listening to more in the future.

Fantastic start to the series

In this first book of the series, we meet the Crawford’s, a very wealthy and proper family from Boston. We learn that well bred families doesn’t always mean love filled homes. When Julia decides she needs to get away from her stifling family, she corresponds with a shopkeeper in South Dakota. She agrees to become his bride. As the fates would have it, things change upon arrival. Will the changes be for the better? Time will tell.

Quick easy read

I received a free audio version of this book to write a review.

It's a historical story about a young woman that leaves a prominent home on her own to marry someone that's she's never met. Through no fault of her own she ends up married to the wrong man. She learns to live her life as a rancher/ farmers life.

It's a quick and easy read and quite enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this to those that enjoy historical romance.