After the Civil War, southern belle Edwina Ladoux decided that being a mail-order bride was her only option after the family plantation was lost to back taxes. She and her half-sister Prudence head west, where she marries Declan Brodie, becoming a stepmother to his four children.
The pacing is rather fast, with all sorts of incidents and events piling on top of each other. It's a good story, but I thought it needed to slow down and spend some time with the characters to get to know them better. Jumping from one plot point to the next meant that relationships just happened: the hero and heroine fall into lust/love almost immediately after having initial doubts about the marriage; Edwina is accepted by the children so quickly, and they go from wild to tamed instantly. Slowing matters down and filling in the connections would have made this a better story, in my opinion. ( )

3-1/2 stars. I enjoyed this second try at Kaki Warner better than the first. Love the mail order bride trope. I felt that the time frame was just a bit fast but the emotional development was pretty good. The author made a pretty reasonable effort to set it firmly in time and place. I enjoyed the relationship between the two main female characters. I did feel that Edwina learned all she needed to know to become a farm wife just a bit too easily but the main thrust of the story was the conflict with the rogue Arapaho so I guess that foreshortened bit of story was acceptable. All in all a pretty solid old west read. ( )

With a richly drawn cast of characters, a vibrant setting and an engaging storyline, Kaki Warner brings Heartbreak Creek vividly to life. Fans of historical romances are sure to fall in love with this beautifully written romance. To read my review in its entirety, please visit http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/2011/12/26/heartbreak-creek/ ( )

The American Civil War (1861-1865) devastated the Rose Hill Plantation in South-eastern Louisiana and the lives of Edwina Ladoux and her half-sister Prudence. Southern Belle Edwina was widowed and has to sign the property over to the bank to pay back taxes. In desperation she answers an advertisement for a mail-order bride for a rancher in the Colorado Territory (‘Honest, hard-working widower, age thirty-three, seeks sturdy English speaking woman to help with mountain ranch and four children. Drinkers, whores and gamblers need not apply’). Marrying widower Declan Brodie by proxy, she and Prudence set out on the long train journey. There will be a three-month courtship during which she will get to know Declan’s four children and what life on an isolated ranch will be like. When they meet the tall and imposing rancher, things look set to fail. Luckily Prudence, whose mother was a slave on the plantation, is practical and knows how to cook, as Edwina doesn’t have the first idea. Things get complicated, especially when Prudence is kidnapped by the Indian Declan suspects of murdering his first wife. A good romance set amongst the pain, grief and drama of this historical period. Enjoyed. ( )

This American historical romance was okay. It had plenty of action but it moved rather slow and I skimmed some except for the exciting ending. I found the side characters more interesting than the hero and heroine. Southern belle Edwinda becomes a mail order bride for Declan in Colorado who has four children.
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