BOOK REVIEW: Wired Love: A Romance of Dots and Dashes

BOOK REVIEW: Wired Love: A Romance of Dots and Dashes

4 STARS for the 1879 title, Wired Love: A Romance of Dots and Dashes. As an amateur historian determined to learn what I could about the telegraph and its impact on American society, how it worked, and the challenges telegraphers faced, this sweet (innocent) love story fit the bill!

Real Mail-Order Bride SUCCESS Stories!

Real Mail-Order Bride SUCCESS Stories!

After a 12-part series consisting of lengthy blog posts covering many (but far from all) scams reported in Nineteenth Century Mail-Order Bride situations, is it possible to believe anyone found success in such a venture?
It’s true! While happiness might not garner front-page news stories, happy mail-order bride marriages did occur–more often than they ended in disaster. This article contains six historically documented SUCCESS stories!

SODA SPRINGS, Sweet Romantic Fiction by Carolyn Steele

SODA SPRINGS, Sweet Romantic Fiction by Carolyn Steele

I had the pleasure of reading an ARC (advance review copy) of SODA SPRINGS by the author Carolyn Steele. This article provides my review of this charming western historical novel and an interview with the author. I share insights about this coming-of-age novel, recommend the book to more than one type of reader, and am pleased to be one stop along the new release’s Blog Tour journey.

Mail Order Brides in the 19th Century American West

Mail Order Brides in the 19th Century American West

Fans of Mail-Order Bride Romances adore reading about courageous women who left home, headed west, and risked everything for a brighter future. We admire brave men who sent for a bride with no more courtship than letters could provide. We enjoy the conflict, hurdles, and challenges the characters face before earning their happy ending.

Did any of this stuff happen in real history?

Yes.

Did real life mail-order bride arrangements become love-matches?

Sometimes.