Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of The Borrowed Bride by Elizabeth Lane
Historical western romance released by Harlequin Historical 1 Nov 08

In the sake of full disclosure, it should probably be noted that I normally loathe love triangles. This is mostly because I like the characters to at least know their own minds, and love triangle plots have a way of rendering them indecisive, weak, and spineless. Just make a decision cupcake, and stick with it. So when I first read the plot description of Elizabeth Lane’s newest Harlequin Historical western I was naturally skeptical. However, having enjoyed her work in the past, I figured I owed it to her to at least give The Borrowed Bride a shot; and I’m glad I did. While not perfect, it certainly is one emotional read.

Hannah Gustavson has loved Quint Seavers since they were children. It’s a foregone conclusion that they’ll settle down, get married, and have a horde of children. However, Quint has other ideas. He’s a young man itching for adventure, but he’s been tied down to his family’s ranch. Now that his older brother Judd is coming home, wounded in the Spanish-American War, Quint can finally shake off the dust of their tiny Colorado town and head for the Klondike gold rush.

As if pining away and missing Quint wasn’t enough, Hannah discovers some months later that she’s pregnant. That one fumbling moment in the hayloft, in her foolish hopes of keeping Quint home, has resulted in a baby. Worse still, nobody has heard from Quint. Her letters, and the letters his family writes, are going unanswered. When Judd learns that Hannah is pregnant, he only sees one solution. He’ll marry her, give Quint’s baby a name, and when Quint returns (if he returns), he’ll readily sign divorce papers. Until then, he and Hannah will live as brother and sister.

But as the months continue to crawl by, with still no word or news about Quint – Judd’s good intentions are becoming harder to swallow. He’s falling in love with his brother’s girl, and she is developing feelings for him.

This story starts out with Quint happily boarding a train out of town, and the emotional roller coaster doesn’t stop from there. Hannah finds herself married to Judd, mostly because her only other option is scandal. It’s not an easy decision to come by though. While the Gustavson household is poor and hardworking, it’s a home filled with love. The Seavers family consists of a bitter, sickly mother; Judd haunted by the war and nursing his wounds; and Gretel a stern German housekeeper. It’s like walking out of the sunshine, only to find yourself in a tomb.

The romance between Judd and Hannah develops at a believable pace, and as tragedies strike their family; it also draws them closer together. They’re also harboring a ton of guilt over their developing romance, because Quint’s ghost looms large over their home. Judd even goes above and beyond trying to find the lad, only to get confronted by the harsh reality that the boy has dropped off the face of the Earth.

My main quibble with this story is that Hannah comes off a little too good to be true. I wanted her to be angry. She deserved to be angry, and instead she foolishly holds out hope, continues writing letters she know will go unanswered, and stays in limbo. Unplanned pregnancy and baby aside, Quint happily runs off and expects her to happily sit on the shelf and wait for him. Add the burden and stress of a baby? Yeah, I wanted her to be spitting nails. Even when the reader learns of Quint’s fate, she still fails to rally some spunk in dealing with the fallout.

The Borrowed Bride is an emotional read, and Judd is just the ticket for readers who adore haunted, wounded heroes. While I would have liked to have seen Hannah exhibit a bit more fire, this is a page-turning read that keeps readers glued to the emotional turmoil the characters are going through.

Grade: B-

Summary:

“We’re going to have a child. You need to come home so we can get married.”

So wrote Hannah Gustavson to her childhood sweetheart, the father of her baby. But with no response, she was forced to marry another man…her lover’s brother.

Tall, handsome and honorable, Judd Seavers could make any woman’s heart race. Hannah was no exception, and she was awed by the ex-soldier who gave her his name.

A forbidden love as grand as the Rockies crested between them. But a shadow loomed. Would the baby’s father come home? And if he did, would Judd return his borrowed bride?

Read an excerpt.