The Mail Order Groom [Mass Market Paperback]

Enter Lucky Lawrence, a do-good gambler, escaping from an unhappy man who is out for his blood. Lucky steps off the train and into Silver Wood. Little does he know Melissa has sent for her pen pal to rescue her. She has never seen this man before but he promised to marry her thus saving Grayson Academy.

Melissa sees the tall, dark and unshaven Lucky and presumes he is her James Harold Pickney IV. Lucky sees the opportunity to help out a gorgeous woman whilst being able to hide out under a different name.

Melissa soon realizes her James is not exactly the scholar he had appeared to be through his letters. Although he could charm the scales off a snake, he knows little about 'reading, 'riting, and 'rithmatic. She finally confronts her 'husband' when she catches him teaching the younger students to add and subtract with 'Blackjack 21.' But she finds that no matter who he is, she loves this dark gambler with gun-metal gray eyes.

The only problem arises when the real James Harold Pickney IV arrives and discovers Melissa and Lucky have not been living as brother and sister in their false marriage. If that town finds out, Melissa and her school are in trouble, or worse Lucky may leave her with a broken heart.

This is my first novel by Sandra Chastain but she has included one of the funniest elements in her novel. That element would be hicks and hillbillies. I do love to read their dialogue and wonder why more authors do not center their novels around these colorful characters. The eloquent Melissa is reminiscent of Laura Ingalls from the "Little House on the Prairie"; strong, brave, and lovable. However the absolute best part of the book is the interaction of Lucky Lawrence and James Harold Pickney IV, and their learning to live with and as each other.

THE MAIL ORDER GROOM is a dead-eye hit with laughs and sighs to propel it into the readers heart.

When Lucky Lawrence, a gambler sometimes savior, saves the daughter of a friend, only to wind up on the run himself from the notorious outlaw Cerqueda, he doesn't even care where he's headed when he jumps on the train heading for Silver Wind, CO. He's astounded when he gets off the train, and there, on the platform, is a horde of people-who mistake him for Harold Pickney, IV. When Lucky begins to hear the story, he realizes that he'll have to help, as he can't leave a damsel in distress. And when he sees Melissa, he's so bowled over by her beauty; it takes him a min. to realize that she also thinks he's Harold, her fiancé. This gorgeous woman had never met the man she intended to marry? Lucky begins to see this as the perfect opportunity to hide out for a while-he can play this woman's fiancé, save her and himself, and then hightail it out of town when things die down.

In a wonderfully humorous romance, Ms. Chastain entertains us to the hilt. It's almost a comedy or errors to watch the characters with one another. The romance between Lucky and Melissa is the central focus of the story, but Ms. Chastain entertains us with several romances between supporting characters, which all together made this a delightful read.
Her spark and verve for humor come across quite clearly, and her characters will have you laughing out loud, and turning the page to see what they'll be up to next.