By Caroline Clemmons
This is a great 99¢ sale on a great historical western romance today through November 15th!
When a story I’ve written is well received, I’m grateful and
inspired. A BRIDE FOR GIDEON, book
16 of the Proxy Brides Series, has 120 five star reviews, and was chosen the #1
Proxy Bride Book of All Time by Book Authority. What a pleasant surprise that
was! The book is in ebook and print, and is enrolled in KU. Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Bride-Gideon-Proxy-Brides-Book-ebook/dp/B07R85KZPC/
I loved the cover the second I saw it. V. McKevitt of Black Widow Designs created the cover. The model on the cover looks the way I always wished I did. A lot of people in my mom’s maternal family had red hair and blue eyes. My eyes are blue, but I got blonde hair that darkened as I aged. I know, we often want something different than we have.
For those who don’t know, a proxy marriage is when the bride and groom are in separate locations. As unusual as this may sound, proxy marriage is still practiced today. For instance, a man serving in the military might marry his sweetheart by proxy—or vice versa. I enjoy writing proxy bride stories, and hope you enjoy reading them.
A BRIDE FOR GIDEON is a sweet historical western romance, most of which takes place in a small Montana town. Here’s the blurb:
Keira desperately wants to belong
somewhere
Gideon is haunted by a secret too
horrible to share
Fate conspires against them…
Keira Cameron came to Boston from Scotland after the death of her parents. She wanted a job, a husband, and eventually a family. She feels rejected because at almost six feet she’s too tall. Her Scottish burr makes her appear too foreign. She is too pretty for any wife to want Keira working near the woman’s husband. Were her expectations unreasonable? Her cousin convinces her to enter a proxy marriage to his friend, Gideon Ross, who lives in Montana Territory. Out of options, she agrees and hopes her goals will be realized.
Gideon Ross is a large man at five inches over six feet. His business is a smithy and gun repair shop. The war left him with a terrible scar on his face. He wears a beard to try to conceal the scar but still hears people whisper he’s a monster and a giant. Do they think he has no feelings? He’s haunted by the war and has terrible nightmares. Reluctantly, he agrees to wed Keira by proxy.
Outside forces work against the couple. Keira
and Gideon must find the key to the attack on their lives. Can they defeat the
enemy before they’re too late?
Enjoy an excerpt:
He drained the last of the milk from the
jar. “Go ahead and buy what you need. You can’t sleep on a pallet and I can’t
take up less room than I did last night.”
A broad smile appeared on her beautiful
face. “You’ll sleep better when you can stretch out and not have your feet
sticking off the end of the bed.”
He met her gaze, remembering their
wedding night. “Aye, and I’d like to hold my wife in my arms all night.”
She blushed and looked down. “I’ll take
these back to the house so you can get back to work.”
He held her shoulders. “Keira? There’s
no need to be embarrassed because your husband wants to hold you in his arms.”
“I don’t know what to say or do. So much
has changed in only a short while.”
He took the items from her and pressed a
kiss to her rose petal lips. She leaned into him but didn’t respond for a few
seconds. He increased the pressure on her lips and she wrapped her arms around
his neck.
The creak of a wagon startled him.
Someone called, “Whoa.”
Keira stared at Gideon but her eyes
didn’t appear focused. She opened her mouth as if to speak but said nothing.
Gideon kept his arms around her.
Bud Palmer came into the smithy. “Oh,
sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Gideon changed so only one arm was
around Keira’s shoulders. “Keira, this is Bud Palmer. Bud, Keira is my wife.”
Bud pumped Gideon’s hand.
“Congratulations.” He took Keira’s hand. “Welcome, Mrs. Ross. Sure hope you
like Haverhill.”
“Thank you, Mr. Palmer. I already like
this town.” Once again she picked up the things from lunch. “If you’ll excuse
me, I’ll get back to the house.”
Bud stared after her. “You’re a lucky
man. I believe that’s the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen.”
Gideon agreed, yet an odd feeling
gripped him. He didn’t want Bud gaping at his wife with that appreciative gleam
in his eyes. He didn’t want any man looking at her in that way. Who was he
kidding? He suspected every man who saw her would stare no matter what her
husband wanted.
He faced his visitor. “What can I do for
you?”
