The Drifter's Bride ~ Tatiana March

• File Size: 945 KB
• Print Length: 71 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Historical Undone (April 1, 2014)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00H5I7ZJ4

Arizona Territory, 1881

Rescue the girl, claim the reward, get out of town. It's the kind of mission that Carl Ritter has completed many times before. Except that Jade Armstrong is no meek captive. She's a strong-willed, half-Apache beauty. And instead of leaving town, Carl agrees to marry her.

Without a white husband, Jade will lose her land. The rugged bounty hunter offers a temporary marriage, just long enough to father the child she needs to secure her inheritance. But the fierce mutual desire unleashed on their wedding night kindles a fire neither expected, turning a business arrangement into a union forged in pleasure....

My take on this book:

As a half-Apache woman Jade Armstrong's father knows the only way that she will be able to inherit his farm is to find her a white husband. When she runs off to live with the Apaches he hires a bounty hunter to bring her back, Carl Ritter is the third bounty hunter to go after her, the first two brought her home, but when her father offered them a marriage bargain they declined,  Carl  finds himself accepting the agreement though. Thing is Carl is a drifter, whose past haunts him and makes him think that there is no way that he can have a future that involves a family. He promises only to stay long enough for Jade to have a child and then he plans on leaving, or at least that's what his head tells him, but his heart has other ideas.

The Drifter's Bride is a well written historical romance of sorts that provided an interesting take on arranged marriage. Ms. March created easy to like characters that were very well fleshed. I could easily understand how Jade must have felt, even though she put her father and their livelihood in jeopardy.The author captured the small town, narrow minded feel of the community, and how they felt about Jade. Carl carried blame for something that he wasn't responsible for. While I sort of knew how the story would end, I found the plot engaging anyway, and couldn't put the book down.  Overall, this was my first time reading a Harlequin Undone Historical  and I found it to be a great little read. Since there are a few sexual situations I would rate it a PG but honestly the scenes are very well done. Historical romance fans will enjoy this quick read, I know I did.