Book Reviews: a duo of stories by Kaye Spencer

On a quest to discover more older couple stories, I ran across A PERMANENT WOMAN by Kay Spencer and adored the story. Then, to my delight, I found out that in a Valentine's anthology, MAIL ORDER MIX-UP told the story of one of the best friends and I couldn't wait to dive in!  Both stories just charmed me to bits and pieces and totally gave me what I was needing!

Blurb:

Widower Simon Driscoll lost his only son and daughter-in-law, with whom he was estranged, in a cholera epidemic. He receives a letter as next of kin granting him custody of his three grandchildren, whom he has never met. The children are in an orphanage, and he cannot take custody unless he shows up with a wife and the documentation to prove the marriage is legal. He has 90 days before he loses his grandchildren, and a month has already passed. Desperate men take desperate measures…


Reputation tarnished and professional career compromised, Tessa Morris wants to start a new life—somewhere, anywhere, as long as that place is far away from here. The problem is, where? Other than attending a university, she’s never lived anywhere else. As the community’s latest pariah, the life and career she’s built in her hometown is finished. At 42, her future seems grim at best. When she happens upon a recent edition of the Matrimony Courier, she finds herself intrigued by one of the advertisements for a wife. That she doesn’t meet any of the qualifications doesn’t bother her in the least, because desperate women take desperate measures…

My Review:

I absolutely love A Permanent Woman!! Tessa and Simon both had some unique circumstances they were dealing with and found the ideal solution with each other. Their meeting had me laughing and smiling and falling in love with them. Simon and Tessa quickly figured out how much they needed each other and built a new family together. When the storms came that should have destroyed their world, they instead discovered their love and need for each other could survive the past. I also love that being older characters (in their 40s) brought a refreshing point of view and proves that a happily-ever-after can come at any age.

Blurb:

Prairie Rose Publications is proud to bring you another wonderful collection of stories of Valentine’s Day romance that is bound to satisfy your need for something “sweet”! Each of these western romance tales revolves around a letter of some kind— with some unexpected results.

It’s nearing Valentine’s Day, and that all-important letter or card could mean romance for a special couple…from a new love to those who’ve wanted to speak up for a while, but have only just gathered the courage. A fateful letter could be the catalyst to match-making, or one that brings news that could change everything. No matter if it’s a newly-discovered love or one that’s been simmering, the contents of these missives could turn someone’s world upside down—just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Linda Carroll-Bradd, Agnes Alexander, Kaye Spencer, Gail L. Jenner, B.J. Betts, Patti Sherry-Crews, Zina Abbott, and Niki Mitchell all contribute their own brand of Valentine’s Day romance to LARIATS, LETTERS, AND LACE, providing some great reading that you’re sure to enjoy.

Join us for some wonderful Valentine’s Day tales that are sure to keep you reading to the very end!

My Review of Mail Order Mix-Up by Kaye Spencer:

Sometimes people think too cautiously (and take too long) for their own good, so three uber-cute granddaughters banded together to get their grandpa a new wife, which of course meant a grandma for them! The history of the main characters softens your heart and has you rootin' for some happy times for Dale and Irene. It's a slow building love story (which perfectly fits with Dale's patient way of thinking and deciding things and Irene's cautious concern) which gives plenty of sweet and charming moments, and then even throws in a little bit of a drama (from outside sources) to keep things moving and exciting.

Loved spending time enjoying Dale and Irene's hea story!

Purchase links:

For A Permanent woman, you can either grab the individual story or you can find it in the Laossing a Mail Order Bride anthology.  You can only find Mail Order Mix-Up in the Lariats, Letters, and Lace anthology.