Kindle Edition Download to your Nook (eBook) Download from Smashwords (eBook) Amazon Barnes & Noble.com Astraea Press Category:  Inspirational Publisher: Astraea Press ISBN-10:  1484965973 Type: Fiction Pages: 200 Copyright: April 4, 2013 ISBN-13: 9781621351481 Price: $2.99 (eBook) Some people got a mail order bride. She got a mail order man. A well-meaning friend places an ad to find a mail order husband for Sarah, the proprietress of Larkspur's stage and mail office. Sarah, who is generally quiet and reserved, doesn't know about the ad and has no idea what to do with all the people that are showing up in her community.  Before long, the town is overrun with men and mail alike.  Sarah is trying to avoid some men who have accosted her on the street when she stumbles into Samuel.  Through long days spent together at the stage office, some very adventurous pots of coffee and a shared faith, the two became friends.  Sarah knows that Samuel is hiding something from her, something important, but that doesn't stop her heart from leaping wildly into love.  Lacking the confidence to trust her heart, Sarah wars with herself over the feelings she can no longer deny.  When some of the men who have come to town show their true intentions, a shootout follows.  Sarah finally gets answers to many of the questions circling through her mind.  One question remains, though.  Where will her mail order man go when the dust settles? Excerpt Right then Claudio and Cesar came through the door. Both boys chimed a “Good morning!” in Sarah’s direction as they headed straight for the coffee on the stove. Sarah saw their intent and inwardly cringed. Not only was she not sure about how many scoops of grounds she’d put in, but the coffee had been percolating much longer than normal because she got distracted with the letters. Samuel had his back to the stove and did not see the boys as they each poured a cup of coffee. Sarah was about to warn them as Claudio, the middle boy at age 16, took a big swig of the hot brew while Cesar, the youngest, opted to blow on his first. Claudio’s eyes grew wide as he swallowed. “Miss Sarah, I do believe that’s the best coffee you’ve ever made. That’s the kind of coffee vaqueros drink!” Samuel visibly perked up at the mention of coffee. Sarah was sure he couldn’t know a vaquero was a Mexican cowboy and that they drink their camp coffee strong. If he understood what the boys were saying, he definitely wouldn’t be in a hurry to get a cup of his own. Cesar finally took a drink of his coffee. Sarah could see him trying not to make a face as he swallowed the brew. “Vaquero coffee for sure, Miss Sarah. Papa would be proud.” Sarah had barely started to warn, “Uh, Samuel…” when he took a big gulp of the coffee Claudio had poured for him. She watched the shock on his face as he first paled and then grew red. His eyes flew wide as he tried desperately to swallow the coffee. He finally ran out the front door and spit the coffee out over the edge of the stage platform. The boys could not contain their howling laughter as Samuel walked back into the stage office, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Wonderful twist on mail order brides
Mail Order Man by Heather Gray pleasantly surprised me. Sometimes I'm quite hesitant when I pick up a book by an unknown author, at least unknown to me. This novel exceeded my expectations and I look forward to reading more of Ms. Gray's work.

Mail Order Man made me laugh, cry, and laugh again. So many misunderstandings, so many men, and then comes trouble. Sarah doesn't know what to make of it, or of the man who saves her from being accosted by several other men new in town. I could relate to Sarah's hesitancy to trust any of the new men in town, including Samuel, whom she knows is not telling her everything.

***I received this book free from the publisher/author for the purpose of review. The above is my honest opinion.***

Mail Order Man
I totally enjoyed the story of Samuel and Sarah. The book was not what I expected...but that's a plus. You get tired of reading the same old thing, so this was a refreshing change. Ms Gray has won my loyalty and I'll certainly be reading more of her books.

Mail Order Man
I have always been drawn to mail-order bride stories and this one certainly puts a different twist on that premise. The story takes place in Larkspur, Idaho Territory during April 1878. Sarah Jenkins is on her way to her job, where she runs the stagecoach station, when she notices an unusual amount of strange men on the streets of Larkspur, and when she is accidentally knocked down one of those men, Samuel Livingston comes to her aid, and escorts her the rest of the way to the office. While the strange men are a conundrum, it's the bags and bags of mail that come to town on the stagecoach that causes a red flag to go up, because most of the mail is addressed to "Eligible Female, Larkspur, Idaho Territory. Turns out that someone placed an ad in newspapers stating that they are looking for a husband,with the instructions to send inquiries to Larkspur. Who placed the ad and why. Meanwhile as Sarah spends time with Samuel she finds herself drawn to him, but will he stick around once all the hoopla dies down!

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genre's to read, and "Mail Order Man" was great! I loved the premise of a "Mail Order Man," and the reason why the ad was placed in the first place. I thought the character of Samuel was great, instead of a rushed relationship, it builds slowly allowing us to see what a wonderful character he really was. Sarah was a strong female, who had been on her own since the death of her father. There were so many things that made this a stand out read for me, such as the small town feel of Larkspur, and how the residents worked together, the inspirational feel of the story was very well done also. Fans of historical fiction with christian themes woven in will enjoy this one, I know I did!

A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review.