An Unusual Groom and a Giveaway!

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It’s such a pleasure to be with you again today. In our literary world, I wear two hats: reader and author. The reader’s hat is the one I’ve worn the longest; I’m an avid book lover who read 385 books in 2025, even while writing eleven of my own. But every so often, I trade that reader’s hat for my author’s Stetson and step into this paddock to share what I’ve been working on.

 

 

As you might imagine, growing up as a half Native American and half white child in the Old West could present many problems. Many times, the children didn’t feel as if they were accepted in either world, especially when they were raised in a white culture. Neighbors often discriminated against them, and they might or might not be allowed to attend a school. If they were, they often met strong prejudice, harassment, and sometimes abuse. They had few, if any, friends, and as they grew older, there were no one to court. They were rarely able to find a job, apart from riding as a scout for the military, and no one wanted to sell them property. So many of the doors that others took for granted were closed to them. This is the backdrop to my new novel.

 

My final book in the Westward Home and Hearts Mail-Order Brides series released on February 10th. These four novels have been a joy to write, and with 68 titles and more still on the way, it’s clear readers have embraced this series as much as we authors have. I didn’t intend it, but I may have saved my most tender, heartfelt story for last. Gwendolyn’s Groom invites readers into the rugged beauty of the Old West, where love rarely comes easy, sacrifice may be demanded, and true courage sometimes means choosing the harder road.

Gwendolyn Corbett never imagined her father would secretly contact a matchmaker on her behalf, and she certainly didn’t expect her potential groom to come with a heritage that would shock her small Wyoming community. With her father’s heart failing and the doctor warning that any stress could hasten his decline, Gwendolyn faces an impossible choice: marry a stranger or risk losing the man she loves most.

 

River Donahue has spent his life on the margins. Since his grandmother’s death, he’s been left with a bitter grandfather and a lineage that makes landowners refuse to sell to him and employers unwilling to hire him. When the matchmaker his grandmother trusted sends him to a dying horse rancher, River is offered something he never dared hope for—a home, a future, and a family. All he must do is marry the rancher’s daughter. But promises can cast long shadows, and dreams often demand a price. Are River and Gwendolyn stepping into a blessing or a storm?
I’m thrilled to share this story with you. Gwendolyn’s Groom is available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, Audible, and in paperback. My Audible narrator offered such heartfelt praise for the story that I can’t wait to hear what readers think. I hope you’ll check it out. Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FLKB5Q2W?tag=pettpist-20

To win either a free Kindle or a free Audible copy of Gwendolyn’s Groom, answer the following question: Would you ever agree to a marriage of convenience if it meant prolonging the life of someone you loved deeply and trusted? Why or why not?

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65 thoughts on “An Unusual Groom and a Giveaway!”

  1. In today’s world, with dating apps of all kinds, it sometimes seems that meeting someone through them is much like having a matchmaker. We do have the convenience of social media, but until you actually meet the person and spend some time ti them, it’s not too much different than stepping off a stagecoach to marry a person you’ve never set eyes on. While I tried a dating app about a year after my husband died, I found I couldn’t really get excited about it.

  2. I don’t think I could do it, but I can understand that in the Old West how it might have been the best option.

    The books sounds intriguing.

    • Thank you, Denise! I enjoyed writing it. River and Gwendolyn had been waiting a long time for me to tell their story.

  3. I might be willing to, to save someone I love and, and who know maybe we can start off as friends and maybe love can grow from there, God does work in mysterious ways after all.

    • Yes, I think the fact that River and Gwendolyn didn’t get married when they first met helped both of them. However, Gwendolyn wasn’t really agreeable for a long time. Yet, she married him anyway for her father’s sake.

  6. Without hesitation, yes! I helped my mom take care of my daddy before he passed, and I was my mom’s full-time caregiver for 9 years, and I KNOW without a doubt I’d would have done that if it meant either of them would live longer!

    • My dad died suddenly at 52, but I was my mom’s caregiver for 8 years during kidney failure and dialysis. I’m an only child, so I understand.

  7. Oh wow this sounds wonderful. Yes I suppose I would marry to help someone else. I have a big heart like that. And then we never know what will happen along the way. Life is full of twists and turns.

  8. If it was someone I loved and trusted, I would definitely be willing to at least consider a marriage of convenience for them, if they trusted the person I was supposed to marry.

    • River was a stranger to Gwendolyn when she first met him. That and the prejudice she had learned from her “friends” made it hard for her.

  9. In the case of your story if it meant protecting the person and the place that I grew up in so I would have a home then yes I would consider it.

  11. Wow! A hard decision, but I feel certain I would seriously consider it, and definitely pray about it. I enjoy marriage-of-convenience stories, but most of them have happy endings. I realize that there were arranged marriages that weren’t so happy, so that would be a sacrifice! ‘

  13. Since my own choice wasn’t the wisest move I could make, I probably would have been better off if I had taken another’s advice. In reading so many books where the bride was chosen by a parent or like a mail-order bride, I have begun to embrace this method. It is a frightening place to be, not to have control of your future. You can only pray the choice will be a good one.

    • Yes, usually when parents are involved, they want the best for their children and have some experiences and wisdom that the children might not have.

  14. Janice, welcome back in an author role and congratulations on the new release!! It looks like an excellent read. If I truly loved someone, I’d do everything I could to help them. Wishing you much success with this and each book you write.

  15. Having married for love more than 3 decades ago (and believe me it has been INconvenient a lot of times ;o] but I wouldn’t change…much ), the subject never came up, so we are left with pure speculation. Considering the times and the circumstances, if the man didn’t repel me (and I were young and trained to absolute obedience to parents, as was customary, especially for girls), I might well have agreed, despite my carefree and independent (20th century!) persona now!

    • Yes, that’s a good point. I think modern readers often forget that the culture and attitudes were different in the past.

  17. I honestly don’t know. My grandfather on my mom’s side had two marriages of Convenience. I enjoy reading them but don’t think I could do it.

  18. That is a hard one to answer because you never know what you will do until you are faced with it. So much would depend on the circumstances, whose life is affected by it; what type person is the man I would have to marry; and how desperate my situation is. Marriage always is a give and take but that comes from loving the person you marry. So I guess my answer would be yes.

  19. Probably because I can hope to hold on to my loved one a bit longer and maybe become friends to more with the stranger.

  20. It would be a hard decision but if he was a good man I think I could. I get attached to people and things really easily so as long as he was good to me I could learn to love him.

  21. Congratulations on your new release!! Your book sounds like a Great read! I would do what my loved one wanted me to do especially since they were dying, I would want them to die in peace. I would have a long talk with this person first and kind of see what he was like, then I would try to make it work out as long as he cooperated and I felt comfortable with him. All our parents want for us is to see us happy . Have a great weekend. (not entering this ebook or audio code giveaway as I am not tech savvy at all, but Thank you)

  22. Yes! If someone I loved and trusted asked this of me I would be willing to enter into a marriage of connivence especially if it would possibly extend that person’s life. I also believe that if you turn this over to God he would work things out to his glory and you would benefit by trusting God and the person who asked this of you to make the best possible choices. There are many decisions made in life in faith as we cannot know the exact outcome.

  25. I think I would consent to a marriage of convenience if I knew it would extend my loved ones life. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be a little scary. Of course the ideal situation would be that you could at least meet that person before you married. Being a mail order bride would be a scary prospect back in the 1800’s but there were worse things that could happen to a woman. It is easy to romanticize it but I think it took much courage to travel to an unknown future with a stranger. I definitely would pray for the very best outcome and do my part to make it work. Your book sounds intriguing and I can’t wait to read it. You are a new author to me and I look forward to reading other books by you.

  26. Thank you so much, Sharon. I hope you love it. Yes, it definitely took courage. At least River and Gwendolyn got to meet and know each other for about three weeks before they married.

  27. I probably wouldn’t but it would be determined what exactly who it was and if I thought I could get along with the man. Marriage is hard even when you love the man.

    • I think the most successful marriages are when both people put the other one first, trying to make their spouse’s life smoother.

  28. I might consider it. It would really depend upon what the intended groom was like. I would hope my first impressions would be accurate in judging his character. If he seemed honest, caring, and a generally good person, a marriage of convenience would be possible, especially if it meant saving someone I loved and cared for. Only time would tell what kind of person he was, and I might just prepare for failure of the relationship. That could be done with a prenup to protect any family property and/or a stash of money so I could leave. Of course those options were not often available to women in the 1800’s or even a good part of the 1900’s. The question. It all comes down to how much are you willing to sacrifice for those you love.

  33. It would be a hard decision if I was honest I probably hesitate at first but for family I would do anything for them. Family is everything they have your backs and I certainly hope I would have they backs as well.
    The books sounds very interesting and I think it would be a great read, love books like this story lineo

  34. This would be an almost impossible decision but if I were in Gwendolyn’s shoes I would probably agree to the arranged marriage. In those days arranged marriages were much more common (and not done because of a parent’s failing health).

    Thanks for running the giveaway; the book would be a welcome prize!

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