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A Bride in the Bargain
A Bride in the Bargain
A Bride in the Bargain
Audiobook11 hours

A Bride in the Bargain

Written by Deeanne Gist

Narrated by Linda Stephens

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

This inspiring romance by Christy Award winner Deeanne Gist sets a spirited gal and an enterprising lumberjack on a collision course in 1866 Washington Territory. Set to lose half his timberland unless he finds a wife soon, widower Joe Denton places an order for a bride who can cook. When she arrives, the bonnie lass certainly cooks up a storm-but she knows nothing about marrying Joe. "A keeper!"-Romantic Times, a Top Pick review
LanguageEnglish
Release dateDec 4, 2009
ISBN9781440773846
Author

Deeanne Gist

Deeanne Gist has rocketed up bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere with her very fun, very original historical novels. She has won the National Readers’ Choice Award, Booksellers’ Best Award, USA Best Books Award, and stellar reviews. With a background in education and journalism, Deeanne has written for People, Parents, and Parenting magazines. Visit her online at IWantHerBook.com and at Facebook.com/DeesFriends.

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Reviews for A Bride in the Bargain

Rating: 4.116071303571429 out of 5 stars
4/5

168 ratings25 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I listened to the Recorded Books version of this book and found it very entertaining. Based on a true story, it takes place in the Washington Territory just after the end of the Civil War. A boatload of brides was contracted from the east by the eligible men of the Seattle area to be supplied by one Asa Mercer. Alas, only about twenty ever made it to Seattle as most jumped ship in San Francisco. One who did arrive was Anna Ivey who was contracted to Joe Mercer. Thing is, Joe paid for a bride while Anna signed on to be a cook. The rest of the book is spent resolving this conflict. Just as it seems settled, a new, unexpected monkey wrench is thrown into the works. This is a very satisfying read or listen.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Light, frothy, very silly, predictable and at times not believable. Hey, it's a romance novel - what do you expect? However, this was still considerably better than many, if not most of the books I've read from the Christian romance/historical fiction genre. A fun, quick read, that left me with a smile on my face.

    One qualm: considering that this a Christian romance, I was a bit surprised by the amount of emphasis put on the two two protagonists' physical attraction to one another. It got a bit old after the first few chapters. . . I found myself rolling my eyes quite a bit. "Okay, we get it! The hero and heroine each think the other is - ahem - extremely attractive. . . can we get on with the rest of the book, please??"
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great book I really enjoyed reading about Seattle s logging & love/brides
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was my first Deeanne Gist book and it hooked me from the beginning! I love her characters and they always make me laugh out loud at their antics! I treasure each of her books and eagerly await each new one! The mashed potatoes incident had to be my favorite scene in this book! Don't know what I'm talking about...then you must read this book to find out!!!!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was the first book I read by this author. It was very nice. I love the heroine because she's strong and capable of taking care of herself. The relationship between her and the main guy is very nice. I had read this book twice now and considered to read it again.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was my second Deeanne Gist book I have read and I just continue to enjoy her style of writing. When I pick up her book I know I am going to enjoy myself until I put the book back down (which I have a hard time doing until the book is finished). This story was fun to read but also showed just what someone was willing to give up for true love. It is in the 1860's in Seattle, Washington that Joe Denton is living as a lumberjack who dearly loves his job and his land. But he will lose half of it unless he finds himself a wife. Enter Anna Ivey who thinks she is journeying to Seattle to be a cook for lumberjacks, never realizing a wife was part of the bargain. This was Joe's description of what he was looking for: "Honesty. Practicality. Nothing flighty or fragile. She'd need to be able to handle cooking for his lumber crew." What Joe ended up getting was a fiesty young lady who had no intention of marrying. But things don't always turn out the way we plan and both Joe and Anna learn this lesson. Joe was a big burly lumberjack with a heart of gold. He has to learn how to pursue or date a lady and it is fun to watch. This story made you appreciate the life of a lumberjack and the people who cook for them. The weather in Seattle is also something that would take some getting used to. There was humor, hardship and romance and I thoroughly enjoyed myself all the way through this book. Good job Deeanne Gist! And thanks for the note at the end, how you inserted real life people, situations and stories into this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a great book with a fun plot and wonderful characters. It is light fun historical romance at its best, and I will be reading many other books by this author.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Definitely not Deeanne's best work. Had I not known it was a Christian book, I wouldn't have figured it out reading the book. The romance is NOT light, and although they don't go "all the way" until after the wedding but they went as far as they could, farther than Christians can rightfully justify. Not a recommendation.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
     This book was so hard to put down, so I didn't just stayed up til 3 in the morning to finish it. Anna Ivey is a 19 year old, orphaned by the Civil War who decides to move from Granby, Massachusetts; she decides to embark on a journey by boat with dozen's of other women and heads toward the west coast in hopes to find a job. Joe Denton is a Lumberjack who owns 640 aches of luscious forest, who is in dire need of a wife in order to keep his land. So Joe reluctently participates in Asa Mercer business venture to bring back wives for the local bachlors, at a price of 300 dollars of course. Only when Anna Ivey arrives she has no idea that she was intented to be a bride, having singed a contact with Mr. Mercer to be given employment as a cook. I loved both Anna and Joes character (along with the rest of the Lumberkjacks). Would highly recommend and read again.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received this book as a gift from a family member who knows how much I love books. Deeanne Gist isn't an author that I was familiar with but I am a sucker for romance so I decided to give it a try. I wasn't dissapointed. It was a fast easy read that kept me entertained. I loved the characters and the story. Even though I generally read "steamier" romance, I wasn't let down. I found it refreshing to read a story where the main characters work to make each other love them, not just lust after them. There was also just enough suspence to keep me turning the pages. If you like historical romance, I would definately reccomend this book!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved this book!! I've read other books by Deeanne Gist (A Bride Most Begrudging and The Measure Of A Lady), but this one was my favorite by far. The plot was really interesting, and I was hooked from the very beginning. What I especially loved about this book was the fact that throughout most of the story, Joe Denton is in love with Anna. In the other two books I've read by this author, both the hero and heroine are attracted to each other, but neither one really wants to get married. In this book, however, Joe falls in love with Anna almost immediately, and tries to woo her throughout the rest of the story. It was really sweet. I also loved the suspense... Though the entire second half of the book, I found myself wondering time and again how the characters would ever get themselves out of their silly misunderstandings and messes!! The twist at the end was great, too. All in all, it was a phenomenal book, and I hope Gist's other books are as good, because I can't wait to read them!!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I listened to the Recorded Books version of this book and found it very entertaining. Based on a true story, it takes place in the Washington Territory just after the end of the Civil War. A boatload of brides was contracted from the east by the eligible men of the Seattle area to be supplied by one Asa Mercer. Alas, only about twenty ever made it to Seattle as most jumped ship in San Francisco. One who did arrive was Anna Ivey who was contracted to Joe Mercer. Thing is, Joe paid for a bride while Anna signed on to be a cook. The rest of the book is spent resolving this conflict. Just as it seems settled, a new, unexpected monkey wrench is thrown into the works. This is a very satisfying read or listen.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a great story! I Would love to read about the lives of Joe and Anna. I think it would be a great read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    On the east coast, then around the horn to the west coast this book spans the United States shortly after the Civil War. Being a southern girl through and through it was interesting for me to really feel for a character who could not be more devoted to her Union ties. Starting with nothing but loss and a past that is haunted by guilt not earned our heroine learns to get up and go on with life. The matter is she has to open her life to where God leads and not to where she is determined to be. Our hero is set and knows what he wants, but does not necessarily like what he has to do to get it. Until he accepts his fate and realizes that quite possibly God has a better plan that he. A bargain is made and if all goes well there might be a bride, but which one and will it be in time for everything else to be saved? The preface of the book is set on a historically accurate fact that a man did take it upon himself to go to the east coast to find wives (orphans - not in the children sense you think of, but girls old enough to marry with no family or other options and widows - women who were left alone with either children or not after the Civil War stole them of their husbands) for the men on the west coast. If you've read much historical fiction, you know many men went west for the land, the mining, and this case the lumberjacking as well. The man who was the "entrepreneur" was not an honest man, but he was not evil in the sense of some characters as well. He was just a man who did not always tell the whole truth.Other than just knowing that the women who were invited to participate in the exodus were from categories such as widows and orphans, there is no real emphasis on the fact or details of the past lives. So there is no dwelling sadness there as one might assume.In a way, I would very much relate a partial idea of the story to "A Bride Most Begrudging". The location is completely different. The characters are completely different. The plot is completely different. But in a similar fashion there is a woman who the last thing on her mind was getting married, who finds out that it might not be up to her with her plans of what she once thought.How does that sound?
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a nice story.I have heard good things baout Ms Gist's books but had not read any yet. I was not disappointed. I loved watching the story unfold, but I wish it had been slightly longer to explore that a little more. It is inspirational but not preachy. definitely would recommend to others looking for a sweet historical romance.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Deeanne Gist has done it again with another "Bride" Book! In the tradition of her other books: A Bride Most Begrudging and The Measure of a Lady (which I also highly recommend!)Deeanne Gist writes another classic story. The setting is different than any story I have read and I really liked that. There is also a little twist at the end of the story, which makes it even more the happy ending!Widower and Lumberjack, Joe Denton is in need of a wife to save the land he has worked on for over ten years. He is so desperate he agrees on paying for one to come from the East Coast to where he lives in Seattle. Cook and orphan, Anna Ivey needs a new job and new life. She decides to to travel to Seattle and signs on as a cook. When she gets to Seattle, she and Joe both realize they have been tricked when Anna realizes Joe wants a wife, and not a cook. Will Anna agree to be Joe's wife, or will he have to find someone else?This story is very sweet and heartwarming and I found myself smiling and laughing at some of the things the characters do and say. Definitely another great book by Deeanne Gist!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Heartwarming and sweet. There was a clear Christian message, but it did not hit you over the head. It fit with the characters and with the time period. I read this book a while ago and forgot to post a review and would like to read it a second time in order to write a better review. I do remember thinking while I was reading it, that the descriptions were very detailed and brought the reader into the story. In this way, it was reminiscent of LaVyrle Spencer novels.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Great relaxed read!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In the 1850s, Joe Denton had a wife and planned to settle in Seattle. He acquired a considerable amount of land through a deal with the government. His wife died before she could join him, and the judge in town tells Joe he has to give up half his land due to the stipulation in the deal that he must have a wife. Either produce a death certificate for his dead wife, or produce another wife. That was the order. Joe couldn’t produce a death certificate due to a records fire, so his only other option to save his land – and the last 10 years of his hard work – is to produce a new wife. Asa Mercer is arranging marriages, and Joe Denton begrudgingly signs up to be a groom. Anna Ivey is tired of working for a letch and living alone in post-Civil War Maine. She decides to travel by sea to Seattle and become a cook. Asa Mercer, her means of travel, allows her to believe she is travelling to take on the job as cook, not as a bride. All is well until Joe and Anna meet and Anna refuses to marry.A Bride in the Bargain is a captivating historical romance which follows the typical boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl can’t be together for whatever reason, and all ends well. However, Deeanne Gist is able to create characters that draw you into the tale and invest your emotions in their lives. The secondary characters are just as endearing as the hero and heroine, and there is no surprise that the couple and their friends must stay together in order not to disappoint the reader. The author does break from the traditional mold and adds a little twist, just when you think the story is coming to an end. An unforeseen complication arises and takes hold of the reader until the close of the book. A enjoyable, romantic read which I highly recommend.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved this story. It was probably her best romance yet and I wasn't bored at all, which is sometimes the case. There was a lot of emotional pull and believable conflict in the story and I might even read it twice, which is something I never do. Very well done romantic tension. It's smoking. :) For a CBA novel, anyway. I even got misty eyed a few times.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What a sweet little book this is. No really. Throughout the book I kept thinking to myself, “oh, how sweet.” Surprisingly enough this didn’t make me roll my eyes and toss the book over my shoulder. You see, to me sweet usually means blah, or boring, or possibly a diabetic coma, but not this time. What saves it from being too good to be true is the author’s attention to historical detail. She doesn’t pretty it up a whole lot which makes the secondary cast of characters much more human, therefore much more interesting.I loved the use of Mercer’s Girls to drive the story forward, but it’s only the catalyst for the meaty part of the book. This is a true love story; love of self, friends, land, career, children and spouse. The only thing that bothered me about this book is that the hero and heroine are a bit unbelievable. Both are a little too good to be true and carry enough guilt to fell a horse. Anna’s feelings of responsibility for her deceased family rang especially untrue and I wish the author had resolved the issue much sooner than she did.I can’t say this is the best book I’ve ever read or that I want to tell all my friends to run right out and buy it, but it’s a solid read. I found it to be an enjoyable and comfortable book. And since my interests tend toward action, excitement and steamy love scenes, that’s saying something.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Orphaned and jobless, Anna answers an ad in a New York newspaper. The ad is searching for "domestics, nannies, or teachers" to come out west to work in the Northwest territory. She is told she will be cooking for a lumberjack camp near Seattle. Little does she know that the lumberjack camp owner has actually sent for a wife, and is expecting one when she steps off the boat.Set mostly in rural Seattle in the 1860s, A Bride in the Bargain is a gentle and quick read. The plot is a bit predictable, but still interesting if you like this sort of book. I would recommend it for fans of the historical fiction/romance genre.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Product DescriptionIn 1860s Seattle, a man with a wife could secure himself 640 acres of timberland. But because of his wife's untimely death, Joe Denton finds himself about to lose half of his claim. Still in mourning, his best solution is to buy one of those Mercer girls arriving from the East. A woman he'll marry in name but keep around mostly as a cook. Anna Ivey's journey west with Asa Mercer's girls is an escape from the griefs of her past. She's not supposed to be a bride, though, just a cook for the girls. But when they land, she's handed to Joe Denton and the two find themselves in a knotty situation. She refuses to wed him and he's about to lose his land. With only a few months left, can Joe convince this provoking--but beguiling--easterner to be his bride? I thought it was a very well written and sweet love story. It's not the usual romance novel, and the difference was a breath of fresh air. Very good story and writing, I have to give Mrs Gist kudos for storytelling.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It is 1865 in the Seattle, Washington Territory and Joe Denton has a problem! He needs a bride so that he can protect his 640 acres of timberland. And in Granby, Massachusetts, Anna Ivey also has a problem and that is the need to get away from a lecherous tavern owner.Asa Mercer says he can solve both problems. He can solve Joe's by bringing him a bride from the East. The Civil War has left so many widows that he thinks it will be easy to get 500 brides. He tells Anna that he can get her a job as cook at a lumber camp.So Joe and Anna each have very different contracts and impressions of what is expected. Needless to say there is trouble brewing when the two meet. Anna does become the cook but does she become the bride? How does Joe deal with the situation?Deeanne Gist is a new author to me and she has written a very tender romance and her characters are likeable. This is not a sensual novel although there are implications of some sensual feelings but this is a likeable and sweet romance. I gave it three and a hlaf stars. For libraries this would be a good addition to their Inspirational Fiction section.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Summary:In 1860s Seattle, a man with a wife could secure himself 640 acres of timberland. But because of his wife's untimely death, Joe Denton finds himself about to lose half of his claim. Still in mourning, his best solution is to buy one of those Mercer girls arriving from the East. A woman he'll marry in name but keep around mostly as a cook. Anna Ivey's journey west with Asa Mercer's girls is an escape from the griefs of her past. She's not supposed to be a bride, though, just a cook for the girls. But when they land, she's handed to Joe Denton and the two find themselves in a knotty situation. She refuses to wed him and he's about to lose his land. With only a few months left, can Joe convince this provoking--but beguiling--easterner to be his bride?I received this book through early review. I loved it! It was a sweet story. I loved the scene with the judge's son. It was really short scene but great.