Review: 'The Marriage Charm' by Laura Lael Miller (2015)

The women of Bliss County have a pact—to find husbands. The right husbands. 
One already has: Hadleigh Stevens, who married rancher Tripp Galloway a few months ago. Now Melody Nolan thinks it's her turn. Melody has recently found success as a jewelry designer, and her work is the focus of her life. She's not exactly unhappy, but she wants more. She's always been attracted to Spence Hogan, the local chief of police, but she's convinced that Spence, a notorious charmer, isn't what you'd call husband material. 
Spence is a good cop who isn't scared of anything—except love. And he's done everything he can to preserve his reputation as a womanizer—a reputation that keeps marriage-minded women, including Melody, at bay. And yet…there's something about Melody he can't forget. Something his heart can't ignore.
On the 27th of January 2015 Linda Lael Miller's newest novel 'The Marriage Charm' was published by Harlequin Books. This book is the second part of the Brides of Bliss County romance series and last year I was given the chance to discover Linda Lael Miller's work when I received a review copy of the first part of the series, 'The Marriage Pact.' I really enjoyed the book and was already looking forward to the other parts, which explains why I was immediately excited when I was contacted about possibly reviewing 'The Marriage Charm.' I couldn't wait to go back to Mustang Creek, Wyoming, and read more about the already familiar group of characters, hoping I would end up enjoying this novel as much as I had the first one!
In 'The Marriage Charm', the focus lies on Melody Nolan who works as a jewelry designer in the small town of Mustang Creek in Wyoming. When she was younger, Melody was madly in love with Spence Hogan; so in love, she even proposed to him. However, he declined and that was also the end of their romance. Now, nine years later, Spence is the town's chief of police and he still makes Melody's heart beat faster whenever she sees him. Yet, Spence has a reputation as quite the womaniser and Melody made a pact with her two best friends Hadleigh and Bex to start looking for their future husbands, the real thing; not just another fling. And Spence Hogan is not exactly husband material... Or is he?
'The Marriage Pact' is the second part of 'The Brides of Bliss County' series, which focuses on 3 best friends who have made a marriage pact in order to help each other find suitable husbands with whom they can start a family. This book focuses on Melody and her quest for love. I already knew the characters from the first part of the series and it was great to learn more about Melody, her background story and her search for love. I personally really enjoyed that the story was told from both a male and female perspective, so we as readers get to see what both Melody and Spence think and feel. It's not just the romance that is focused on, though; there are also other aspects to the story, such as a number of mysterious thefts in the town, which managed to keep my attention until the very end. 
This is only my second Linda Lael Miller novel, but she's already becoming one of my favourite romance authors. Her writing style is so easy to get into and combined with a fascinating group of characters and a captivating storyline, her books are really enjoyable reads. I do think it's best to read this as a sequel, so you know the background story and the different characters, but it can also be read as a standalone. If you're a fan of western romances, and you're not yet familiar with Linda Lael Miller, you definitely need to pick up one of her books because you're missing out on something! 'The Marriage Charm' is exactly what a fast-paced and fun romance read is supposed to be like; nothing too complicated, thoroughly enjoyable and with a happy ending. I really enjoyed this novel and already look forward to the third part of the series! 

Rating:9/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: 'The Marriage Pact' by Linda Lael Miller (2014)

Ten years ago, Hadleigh Stevens was eighteen and this close to saying "I do," when Tripp Galloway interrupted her walk down the aisle. Now that she's recovered from her youthful mistake and Tripp's interference, Hadleigh and her single friends form a marriage pact. She doesn't expect Tripp to meddle with her new plan to find Mr. Right—or to discover that she's more attracted to him than ever! 
Divorced and eager to reconnect with his cowboy roots, Tripp returns to Bliss County to save his ailing father's ranch. He's not looking for another wife—certainly not his best friend's little sister. But he's never been able to forget Hadleigh. And this time, if she ends up in his arms, he won't be walking away!
As part of the review team over at Chick Lit Club, I received the chance to read and review the first part of Linda Lael Miller’s new book series ‘The Bliss County Brides’, ‘The Marriage Pact.’ I have to admit, I hadn’t heard of Linda Lael Miller before and after doing some research on the Internet, I’m quite surprised about that. She’s a best-selling author who has written over 100 books (wow!), mainly contemporary and historical romances, and is widely known for her western romances. I was delighted to get the chance to be introduced to Linda Lael Miller’ work, and looked forward to checking out ‘The Marriage Pact’!
Hadleigh Stevens and her two best friends Melody and Becca are all three still looking for the perfect man in their lives. Together, they decide to make a marriage pact, vowing they will help each other to find a suitable husband. When Hadleigh was just 18, she was about to marry but her wedding was ruined by Tripp Galloway, her brother’s best friend, who ran into the church and carried her out over his shoulder, without a word. Hadleigh knows Tripp prevented her from making the biggest mistake of her life, but she still holds a grudge against him. Now, ten years later, a divorced Tripp is back in town to help his stepfather to run the family ranch. It doesn’t take long before Hadleigh and Tripp bump into another, and even though Hadleigh just wants to stay as far away as possible from Tripp, she can’t ignore the chemistry that’s still there between the two of them...
‘The Marriage Pact’ is the first part of the Bliss County Brides series and a great start which only made me more curious about the other books that are still to come. I loved the scene setting and the cast of characters. The book is set in the small town of Mustang Creek in Bliss County, Wyoming, where main character Hadleigh Stevens has her own quilt shop. Throw in a marriage pact with her best friends, and a handsome leading man who returns to the town after a decade, and you’ve got yourself the set-up for a great romance story. I immediately liked Hadleigh and her friends, and the chemistry between Hadleigh and Tripp was impossible to ignore, resulting in me crossing my fingers for them to get together from the first few pages of the book.
I personally wouldn’t have minded if the book had been a bit longer and the story had focused on some more details, mainly because I loved the plotline and the characters. However, this book is what it promises to be: a laid-back and sweet romance read. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole atmosphere created in the novel and I definitely look forward to the next part in the series. ‘The Marriage Pact’ is an easy-to-pick-up and fun romance read which I thoroughly enjoyed. I’m glad I was introduced to Linda Lael Miller this way and look forward to reading more of her work in the future! Rating:

8,0/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.