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12 November 2013

Teresa S Mathews Reviews A Bride for Keeps by Melissa Jagears



A Bride for Keeps by Melissa Jagears
Bethany House, 2013

Reviewed by Teresa S Mathews
5 stars~*****

Everett Cline thought he needed a wife but after being jilted be a local girl and three mail-order brides, he has given up. He has no desire to go through the humiliation again, no way, no how; until his best friend's wife decides she can do a better job of picking out a wife for him and the stunning Julia Lockwood steps off the train.

Julia has come all the way from Massachusetts running from a father that she feels doesn't love her and a fiancé that has damaged her so badly she may never trust a man again. What possessed her to think she could come to the plains of Kansas to marry a man she doesn't know?

Everett can't understand why a woman as beautiful as Julia would want to marry him; obliviously he has something wrong with him that all those other girls refused him. Julia is terrified that Everett is going to be like her ex-fiancĂ©; surely a handsome man like Everett cannot be trusted! These two tortured souls finally get married but not before Julia makes it clear it will be in name only! How can they make a marriage that will last when neither will even speak to the other?  

This is Ms. Jagears debut novel and what a terrific one it is!! I love the depth she put into the characters, Julia and Everett. On the surface you have two seemingly normal people but the more you learn about them the more you realize the hurts these two carry. I was so drawn into the story I found it hard to put down. I am certainly looking forward to hearing more from this author in the future.  

***Thanks to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this in exchange for my honest opinion.***

You can find this at AmazonChristian Book.comDeeper ShoppingBarnes & Noble and other outlets.
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GIVEAWAY: We'll be giving away winner's choice of format for the book (ebook only to international winner.)  Also a gently used paperback copy to another winner this week.

*** Please leave your email address for contact purposes! ***

71 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great book!! I would love to win this.
    Melissa

    Battles2001@hotmail.com

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    Replies
    1. MELISSA thanks for coming by, it is a great book and I know you will love it!! :)

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    2. Thanks for dropping by, Melissa....great name by the way. ;P

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  2. I am so looking forward to reading this book! I loved Melissa's novella and have looked forward to her first full length ever since I read the novella.

    pattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. PATTY If you loved the novella you are gong to love Everett and Julia's story. It was so good!

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  3. Ohh Teresa, this sounds just like the sort of story and characters I love to champion! I look forward to reading it! Great review!!

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    1. NOELA yes it is...I will admit this one had me "talking" to the characters!! It was wearing me out trying to get them to "listen" to me!!! lol

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  4. I love your review, TERESA! This one is on my wishlist, but I have sooo many to catch up on before 2014 comes up! Oh, my goodness!

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    1. DIANA keep it near the top it will be worth it. I know what ya mean about getting all these books read before 2014!!

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  5. Oh, I love good mail-order-bride stories and that cover is beautiful!

    nina4sm/at/gmail/dot/com

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    1. SYLVIA I love one a good Mail-Order Bride story too and this one is great! :)

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  6. ONce again a great review! I can't wait to read this.
    lattebooks at hotmail dot com

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    1. Thanks SUSAN....thanks for stopping by! Hope you get to read it soon too! ;)

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  7. I'd love to win a softcover--heatherdaygilbert (at) gmail (dot) com.

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    Replies
    1. Hi HEATHER...we'll keep that in mind if your name is drawn! :)

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  8. Looking forward to this love story - I love the setup and can't wait to see how the couple pull it all together!

    missionwife@hotmail.com

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    1. MELODY it takes them a little while but it has a grand ending! :)

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  9. Sounds like a wonderful read, I love books like these.


    northerncountrygrl26(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. LIZ, if you like Mail-Order Bride books you will really love this one! :)

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  10. Oh wow, this sounds like a terrific read!! Going to put it on my wishlist. :)

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    Replies
    1. MARIAN like I told DIANA you have to put it near the top! lol

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  11. Oh this book sounds so good . I love to read a good story about mail order Brides . I would love to win this book . Thanks and blessings. Please put me in the drawing .
    lizd225(at)gmail(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. Hi ELIZABETH, good to see ya...Got ya in the drawing! :)

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  12. I would love to read this book....it sounds fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed Melissa's novella. Thanks for the giveaway.
    jacsmi75 [at] gmail [dot]com

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    Replies
    1. JACKIE if you enjoyed the novella then you are going to love the book! I have the novella on my kindle I believe I need to get busy reading it!

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    2. Happy to hear you liked the novella, here's hoping the novel lives up to expectations. :)

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  13. Thank you for this interesting review and the chance to win this contest. I sure would like to. I like meeting and trying new authors and this book sounds great. Please consider me. Mary Lou K
    flowersmarylou85(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. MARY LOU I have you covered, good luck in the drawing!! :)

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  14. Would love to win this interesting book! Thanks for the great review and the giveaway!

    Blessings,
    seventysevensusieq{at]yahoo[dot]com

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    Replies
    1. SUSIE thanks for stopping by, glad the review caught your attention! :)

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    2. SUSIE, I don't believe we've met before but RANDOM.org picked YOU to win! Congrats!

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  15. I have loved the sounds of this book since I saw if first. Love the cover too. Thank you for the wonderful review and for a chance to win it. I can't wait to read it and see for myself Melissa's wonderful book.
    Blessings
    Linda Finn
    Faithful Acres Books
    http://www.faithfulacresbooks.wordpress.com
    faithfulacresbooks@gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. http://faithfulacresbooks.wordpress.com/ Shared a link and picture on my blog of your review, perhaps others will come and join the fun !

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    2. Just a thought Melissa but you can go to Deeper Shopping and do a biography page on your book and yourself ! When I read and review your book it will get posted to Deeper Shopping and Amazon , Goodreads and TCBN ! http://www.deepershopping.com/melissa-jagears/homepage.html

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    3. WOW LINDA!! Thanks for sharing this and for the great info! Good idea about Deeper Shopping!

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    4. Thanks Linda, I didn't know about Deeper Shopping, I'll go see if I can figure it out.

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  16. Sounds like an amazing story. Too often we have no idea what is going on below the surface of a person. I really want to read this book. fishingjan [at] aol [dot] com

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    1. Hi JAN that is so true, you never know what a person has been through in their life. Good luck in the drawing!

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  17. This does sound like a fabulous debut.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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    1. MARY Yes, it is an amazing debut book, MELISSA did an outstanding job!! :)

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  18. Bt this will be really good. Been wanting it since reading the first review. Hoping to be a winner. Not giving up as long as there is a chance. MAXIE mac262(at)me(dot)com

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    1. Good review Teresa, Hug all of the OWG gals for me. :) Maxie

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    2. MAXIE it's always good to "see" you on here! Don't give up!! I know one day you are going to win a book, hopefully it will be this time around! {{{BIG HUG}}} back to ya!!

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  19. I enjoyed the free novella and would love to have this one!

    rdalquis(at)css(dot)edu

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed the novella, thanks for your interest!

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  20. I read the first few chapters in an excerpt in the prequel novella and it totally piqued my interest. I'm glad it turned out to be a great book!

    garfsgirl [at] hotmail [dot] come

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    1. oops, i meant garfsgirl [at] hotmail [dot] com

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    2. LIS I need to read that prequel, might have to slip in between the other books I'm reading! Thanks for stopping by!

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  21. I sure would like to read these books. I love reading the Amish stories. bluebell5071@yahoo.com
    Thank you, Shirley Culpepper

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    Replies
    1. Hi SHIRLEY thanks for dropping in with us! Sure hope you get to read this one too! :)

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  22. Sounds like a terrific book
    God bless you
    Chris Granville
    granvilleATfrontiernetDOTnet

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    1. CHRIS thanks for coming by and yes this is a terrific book. :)

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  23. It sounds like a book not to be missed! I would be thrilled to win!! Thank you for sharing with us...:) Blessings ~ Juli
    emeraldelena@hotmail.com

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    Replies
    1. JULIANNA You are very welcome, glad you came by! Would love for you to win! :)

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  24. Would love to win this book. It sounds very interesting.
    seraphinangel7@aol.com.

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    Replies
    1. JUANITA I would love for you to have this book also! It's a great read!

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  25. Replies
    1. DEBBIE here's hoping for a win for you! Thanks for dropping by!

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  26. I have two opportunities to win! first or second print book reader! Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House lanehillhouse[at]centurylink[dot]net would love to have a copy of Melissa's A Bride for Keeps!

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    Replies
    1. LANE great to see you here! Good Luck in the drawing!

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  27. I'm excited to see a new author with such a great story for her debut!
    jennydtipton at gmail dot com

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    1. JENNIFER you are so right, this is a wonderful debut for MELISSA!

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  28. Great review--sounds wonderful. What an honor to be able to have a chance to win it. Thanks OWG!
    Vicki vmarney at hot mail...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi VICKI glad you came by, here's hoping for a win for ya! Even if you don't win, this is a great book for your wish list!

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  29. Great review! I absolutely adored this book! Such an amazing debut!
    gatoradde635(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. ABBI you are so right MELISSA is an amazing author!! Thanks for dropping in!

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  30. New author to me, but one I've been hearing a lot about! Would love to win this---please toss my name in the hat! Thank you so much. Best wishes on the success of this book, Melissa.
    Emily_reynolds(at)Hotmail(dot)com

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  31. Sounds great! Good luck to everyone!

    suzieberry(at)gmail(dot)com

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  32. What a great review. This book definitely sounds like a winner and I would love to be one too. Thank you for the opportunity.

    mauback55 at gmail dot com

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  33. I would be over the moon if I won this book! This is a new author for me, and the book premise sounds amazing.

    Susan Manchester
    susan.manchester061 at gmail dot com

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    1. I read through the other comments, after I added mine, and I heard about the novella Melissa wrote. I liked the sound of it so much that I went to Amazon to order it, and IT WAS FREE! Happy me!

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