Product Description
She’s been living in a desert all her life. Suddenly she’s come upon an oasis. But is it just a mirage? Idaho Territory, 1885. Brooke Marie Baker, eighteen, has been sent west as a mail-order bride. As the stage nears Greer’s Ferry, where she is to meet the man she’s pledged to marry, she tries to swallow the lump of nervousness in her throat. Can it be any worse than living with Uncle Jackson…or Hank? she wonders. All men are the same, aren’t they? But with her parents and sister dead, she has no choice. Sky Jordan, a rancher, holds a single, yellow daisy in his hand as he watches the ferry cross the river. Ever since he’d found out his surly cousin, Jason, had sent for a mail-order bride, his mind and heart had been ill at ease. No woman deserves to be left with the likes of Jason. But now he questions his own plans to claim the bride for himself. Why am I drawn to this woman I don’t even know? A wounded heart. Desperate choices. Unfathomable love. Set in the adventure and danger of the Wild West. Book One, The Shepherd’s Heart series. “An intriguing tale with the perfect blend of suspense, drama, and romance. Best keep your eyes on Lynnette Bonner. She’s a gifted storyteller.” -SHARLENE MACLAREN, Author, Through Every Storm, Long Journey Home, Little Hickman Creek Series, The Daughters of Jacob Kane Series
I’m only half way through the Kindle addition of this book. I was loving the story but I had to stop reading it because of all the miss prints and miss spellings! Do not buy the Kindle book until they redo it.
Rated 2 / 5
I don’t really read crime dramas or mysteries,so I don’t care for such elements mixed in with romance. I was not expecting this in this book,and I almost stopped reading when I saw where it was headed.
I loved the hero-Skylar,but I just never could feel much for Brooke,the heroine. Throughout almost the entire book she would not let herself trust Skylar despite his proving he was a man of his word and totally honorable,so I felt he deserved much better than Brooke.
I can’t stand reading about characters who are so messed up from their past that they can’t get over it,and live in the present. No one can ever please such messed-up people,so smart people avoid them like the plague!
I also detest sociopaths and as there is one in this story,that was extremely off-putting,as well.
Just too much of a ‘downer’ for my taste’ in a romance.
Rated 3 / 5
Brook–mail-order-bride, was sold to Mr. Jordan by Uncle Jackson, so she’s off to Idaho to marry a stranger. Brooke Baker’s life changed forever after her family died in a buggy accident and she was sent to live with her physically and verbal abusive Uncle. Brooke hoped for a better life in Idaho, away from her Uncle and abusive Fiancé. But deep down in her heart she knew men were all the same.
Sky Jordan, rancher and a man after God’s own heart, interrupts his cousin Jason’s plans to marry a mail-order-bride. Sky wasn’t certain why he was drawn to a women he didn’t know, but he just knew he couldn’t let an innocent woman marry his drunk, violent tempered cousin. He was bad news.
Lynette pens a tender, heart warming, action adventure story based on real events in Idaho history. Lynette creates believable characters that take the reader through a wide range of emotions. Sky watched Brooke’s reactions to situations and knew she had been mistreated. He was determined to show her unconditional love. Sky says this to Brooke after she flinched because she thinks he’s about to hit her, “I will not hurt you.” His voice was low and tender, “I promise not to touch you until you say it’s okay…You have nothing to fear from me…I will never hit or abuse you in anyway.”
Brooke thought, “the probability of his keeping his word is about as good as finding an oasis in the middle of a desert…Hank her fiancé had started out being nice to her too, and look how that turned out.”
Sky and his family’s faith in God touches the people around them and Brooke in a big way. She hadn’t known any Christians before. Sky helps the sheriff track down the person responsible for murdering his friend; things get tense and suspenseful as Lynnette describes how this town tried to capture the bad guys and how justice was done. This is the first book in the Shepherd’s Heart series. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series you will too.
Nora St.Laurent
ACFW Book Club Coordinator
Rated 4 / 5
She might just be a young girl, but Brooke Marie Baker knows about the world, and thinks she knows all about men. Being used by them her whole life, she wants nothing to do with being a mail-order bride. But she is sold to go west by her uncle. What can she do with no family or friends to turn to?
Skyler Jordan is a young man who has principles, morals, and a deep love for God. When he finds that his cousin, Jason, has ordered a young woman as a mail-order bride, he feels strongly that he needs to protect this woman. No matter who she is, he doesn’t feel like any woman should be left with Jason at any time.
Can Sky show Brooke that he is different than any other man in her world? Can he show her the God that makes him the way he is? Especially in the middle of a murder trial concerning the death of a good friend, and a family conflict with his cousin Jason?
Can Jason come back to the faith he deserted in favor of revenge years ago? Or will he continue to self-destruction and kill as his family was killed? Find out when you read this book by Lynnette Bonner, a talented writer and author with other books in the offing.
God Bless!
Rated 5 / 5
I am a huge fan of christian romance and this book did not disappoint. The author did a great job crafting believable characters. I fell in love with the hero, Sky. I liked how tender he was with Brooke, a true gentleman. The author’s bad guys were really, really bad. And I enjoyed the supporting characters in the story too. I think Jenny was really well done, and I’m so glad that things were looking up for her by the end of the story. I hope I’ll see some of these characters again in the author’s next book, which will definitely be on my must read list.
Rated 5 / 5