Historical
Midnight Bride
By Chrissy Dionne
Mar 16, 2008 - 4:52:29 AM

Sweetcream, Texas 1880

Since her grandfather’s death two months ago Carrie has dedicated herself to running the Lazy Jazy ranch.  Unfortunately she’s been unable to locate his final will and that’s cause for concern, especially since Judge Jacobson has requested that she meet with him at three o’clock.  Since she’s in town she opts to drop by the mercantile and pick up a few items for the ranch hands meals.

While in the mercantile, a stranger enters looking to buy flowers because he’s getting married that day.  Carrie notices that he’s looking directly at her as he makes his proclamation but doesn’t dwell on it.  He may make her body tingle but he’s marrying and therefore off limits - not that she has time for a man in her life.  The last thing she expects is to arrive at the judge’s chambers to learn that her grandfather’s will has mysteriously appeared. According to the terms of the will she’ll have to marry a man she doesn’t know, conveniently the same man who brought the will to everyone’s attention.  She only has until the stroke of midnight to say “I do” or the ranch reverts to the Mother of Mercy Orphanage.

Carrie refuses to believe her grandfather intended for her to marry a man she doesn’t love and doesn’t even know. Certainly the will’s been updated at some point since the version that Jed Jones conveniently shows up in town with just hours before the deadline is more than twenty years old.  She vows to scour the Lazy Jazy property and find a more updated version but in the meantime according to the only known will if she wants to keep the ranch she’ll have to marry Jed, or as she prefers to call him Mr. Jones.

Jed’s spent many years as a cowpoke and saved up a good portion of his wages.  His money would go a long way to restore the Lazy Jazy to its former glory but Carrie’s proud and doesn’t want to admit to needing him or his money.  She certainly isn’t about to admit to her growing feelings for him.  Jed has an agenda of his own and he’s not about to lose his birthright and let her squirm out of her family’s wrongdoing toward his family.  Jed and Carrie must fulfill the terms of the will or lose the ranch.  Does a marriage forged under such outlandish circumstances stand a chance of a happily-ever-after?

Tanya Hanson’s MIDNIGHT BRIDE reinforced my love of historical American romance novels.  Her characters bring to life all the charming characteristics you’d expect in this kind of story.  Carrie and Jed are strong characters who are determined to hang onto their heritage - if that means marriage, then so be it!  The sexual attraction is evident right from the beginning but any feelings they have are overshadowed by their unwillingness to accept their marriage as ‘real.’  Carrie’s determined to find a way out of the marriage and Jed is bitter over a perceived wrong done to his family by hers.  Throw in some unexpected events and some unexpected visitors and you have the making of a book that you won’t be able to put down.