Review: Another Solid Read from Ms. Tilley
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 31, 2014
I am a big Rebecca Tilley fan.  I've read most of her mail order bride stories and have enjoyed them all.  My favorite to date has been "The Last Betrayal."  So far, IMO, none of Ms. Tilley's other books have risen to the level of that one.  Alas, the same is true of this book "Search for a Bride."  I by no means mean to imply that I did not enjoy this book, because I did, and quite a bit.However, there seemed to be something missing.  I felt like the story was just too quick.....and to be honest this seems to be a trait of all Ms. Tilley's books.  Her books are usually short and the romance typically moves at a fast pace...sometimes too fast.  But, while this method works for some of her books, others need a bit more fleshing out.IMO, "Search for a Bride" is one of those stories that needed more developing, especially when you consider that this is not a straightforward mail order bride story, but one that has the added complication of another woman.  Anna and Beth are sisters.  Beth is a mail order bride.  Her future husband, Nate, is a rancher.  Nate is a sweet guy and has agreed to allow Anna to live him and Beth, because she has nowhere else to go.  Beth is the beauty of the family.  That is not to say that Anna is not pretty, but when in the presence of her lovely sister she gets overshadowed.  Nate is immediately bowled over by Beth's beauty, but as he gets to know Anna he realizes that he's engaged to the wrong sister.The book is a quick, entertaining read.  The story a sweet one.  I liked Anna and Nate very much, though there isn't a lot of character development.  Beth is a bit spoilt, but she dearly loves her sister.  I think the ending was too rushed and too "neat."  Nevertheless, this is a good book, although both the story and the characters could do with some developing.Ms. Tilley seems to rush through her stories, quickly bringing the reader to the conclusion, rather than allowing us to savor them.  I'm not sure why she does that, because from all her books that I've read it's clear that she's a talented storyteller.  It is my very humble opinion that all her stories could easily be 4 and 5 star books if only she would take the time to flesh out her stories and characters a bit more.  That being said, I enjoyed this book.  I would say it is a worthwhile read.