Review: Mail Order Surprise by Lucy Thompson

Excellent Mail Order Bride Debut

Amazon Description

Colorado, 1881.


Lydia Walsh is on the run. The quiet rancher she marries and expected to find safety and protection with turns out to have three siblings, next to nothing to live on, and is a crack shot who may or may not be one of the states best cattle rustlers.

Beau Harding wants to keep his family together and do the right thing by them. His mail order bride comes with her own set of baggage: two more mouths to feed and empty hearts begging him to fill. The job he took for some quick money gets him thrown in jail for rustling, and then to clear his name he takes on another job--and learns that his wife may have been the one plotting his family’s downfall all along.

My Review

I do enjoy a good Christian Western—I suspect they are one of my favourite genres of historical because they are full of strong heroines and loveable heroes, and many of them also have a touch of humour (e.g. Karen Witemeyer, Carol Cox). So I was thrilled when I heard Australian author Lucy Thompson had released her debut novel, and even more thrilled when she offered me a review copy.

And it’s excellent: totally on point, as my teenage daughter would say. We’ve got a heroine in a pickle, a hero with a problem (well, three problems in this case, in the form of three younger siblings). There is a raft of lovable minor characters as well, and while many of the elements of the novels are predictable (cowboys, ranches, steers, and a regrettable lack of indoor plumbing), there are also plenty of original touches to keep the reader interested and story moving forward.

There was one aspect to the plot which didn’t quite ring true for me, in that it didn’t seem consistent with what we had been told about the character. However, I was relieved to find that was addressed with a completely unexpected plot twist (and I don’t want to say anything else, as it might spoil the story).

Recommended for fans of mail order bride stories, and fun Western historical romances. I’ll be looking forward to the sequel (there has to be a sequel. There are three more siblings!).

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Lucy Thompson at her website (https://lucythompsonauthor.com/), and you can read the introduction to Mail Order Surprise here: