Rating: 
Summary: Charming story...
Review: A charming, PG rated story. I bought the audio version and was immediately swept up by the reader -- could he have been Dallas Schultz himself? Neither the audio nor the jacket say, but the voice is intriguing, as is the story. Luke drew the short straw when it was time for one of the McLain brothers to take a wife and produce an heir to their vast ranch, and there are predictable hitches in the getalong, but Luke McLain turns into a hero to save Eleanor's life before he realizes just how much he loves her. I'm gonna pop this audio tape into my player and listen to it again...
Rating:
Summary: Charming story...
Review: A charming, PG rated story. I bought the audio version and was immediately swept up by the reader -- could he have been Dallas Schultz himself? Neither the audio nor the jacket say, but the voice is intriguing, as is the story. Luke drew the short straw when it was time for one of the McLain brothers to take a wife and produce an heir to their vast ranch, and there are predictable hitches in the getalong, but Luke McLain turns into a hero to save Eleanor's life before he realizes just how much he loves her. I'm gonna pop this audio tape into my player and listen to it again...
Rating: 
Summary: One of them would have to marry!
Review: Daniel and Luke McLain decided that one of them just had to marry - they were fed up with cooking for themselves, their house was filthy, and if something happened to both of them they had no heirs to whom they could leave their ranch. The only problem was, neither of them wanted to be married! To decide who had to pick a wife, the brothers drew straws - and Luke McLain drew the short straw.Luke McLain didn't demand too much in a wife. He just wanted someone who was somewhat pretty, had a calm demeanor, wasn't afraid of hard work, would do what he said, and could give him the sons he wanted. The tall, rugged cowboy thought that it couldn't be TOO hard to find a woman with those qualities. Nevermind that the preacher in town told him that you couldn't look for a wife the way one would look for a horse - Luke thought he didn't need a love match, even though his parents had had one. So when he met shy, sweet Eleanor Williams, he thought he had found the perfect candidate for the new Mrs. Luke McLain. Eleanor was fast reaching the age of spinsterhood, as her cruel younger cousin reminded her. Eleanor secretly dreamed of a love match, but she knew that she had to be practical about marriage. Practical, however, was the last thing on her mind when she caught sight of the handsome McLains, especially Luke. She was certain that he would never show any interest in her, though...until he proposed a marriage of convenience! There was still something missing, though - and Eleanor wouldn't give up until she had her husband's love. I liked this book rather well. It was a very fast read, particularly because my copy of the book had very large margins and a lot of space between the lines of the text. Eleanor was an interesting character, as was Luke, but quite frankly, I was more interested in watching Daniel (Luke's brother) and Letty (Eleanor's best friend, a young widow) spar with one another. The story's premise was very promising, but it just fell a bit flat for me. There didn't seem to be much depth to the story. There was some good parts in the book that made me laugh out loud. It just seemed to me that the storyline could have been developed so much more, and the characters could have been fleshed out better. There was a lot of potential material with which to work, but the story seemed fairly superficial to me. Still, it was a fairly good read, and if you are looking for some light reading with a bit of humor stashed away in it, this is a good book for you to consider reading.
Rating: 
Summary: A quick read...
Review: Daniel McClain decides it's about time his brother or himself get a bride - with emphasis on his brother, Luke, finding the bride. With their house in shambles and getting worse every day, not to mention no heirs for the brothers to leave their ranch to if something should happen to them... it just seems like the logical choice for one of the brothers to get married. Only Luke isn't going to buy his younger brothers belief of the oldest should marry first... so the brothers decide to draw straws to find out who the groom is going to be. When the brothers show up at church, with Luke searching for the "biddable" bride to cater his every whim, the town is shocked to see the two brothers taking more of an interest in the town and church activites, and realize they must be ready to find wives. Considering they are the most attractive men in town, and maybe the wealthiest ranch in the area as well, the single women are actively seeking their attentions. When Luke spots the quiet and sweet Eleanor, he thinks he's found the perfect wife. Since her parents have passed away, Eleanor is living with her Aunt and Uncle, and horrible cousin. Simular to the old Cinderella story, Eleanor is nothing more than a free housekeeper to the family, and treated somewhat similar to the treatment Cinderella had to deal with. Needless to say, Eleanor jumped at the chance to marry Luke - knowing it was not a marriage based on love. From the moment Eleanor and Luke are married, you'll be laughing at the two, as they quickly begin to fall in love. This is simply a historical romance of the old fairy tale, with a few twists. The sensuality of this book is very low-key, but the humor and the unusual predicament the characters find themselves in - to their own making - is quite an entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and warm story
Review: Daniel McClain decides it's about time his brother or himself get a bride - with emphasis on his brother, Luke, finding the bride. With their house in shambles and getting worse every day, not to mention no heirs for the brothers to leave their ranch to if something should happen to them... it just seems like the logical choice for one of the brothers to get married. Only Luke isn't going to buy his younger brothers belief of the oldest should marry first... so the brothers decide to draw straws to find out who the groom is going to be. When the brothers show up at church, with Luke searching for the "biddable" bride to cater his every whim, the town is shocked to see the two brothers taking more of an interest in the town and church activites, and realize they must be ready to find wives. Considering they are the most attractive men in town, and maybe the wealthiest ranch in the area as well, the single women are actively seeking their attentions. When Luke spots the quiet and sweet Eleanor, he thinks he's found the perfect wife. Since her parents have passed away, Eleanor is living with her Aunt and Uncle, and horrible cousin. Simular to the old Cinderella story, Eleanor is nothing more than a free housekeeper to the family, and treated somewhat similar to the treatment Cinderella had to deal with. Needless to say, Eleanor jumped at the chance to marry Luke - knowing it was not a marriage based on love. From the moment Eleanor and Luke are married, you'll be laughing at the two, as they quickly begin to fall in love. This is simply a historical romance of the old fairy tale, with a few twists. The sensuality of this book is very low-key, but the humor and the unusual predicament the characters find themselves in - to their own making - is quite an entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS A WONDERFUL BOOK!
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. It was so funny and refreshing. This is the first book I read by this author and I look forward to reading more from her. I hope her other books are similar to this one. This is definitely a keeper!
Rating:
Summary: Nice and Easy Fun Read!
Review: If you're looking for a quick and light read, you'll enjoy Short Straw Bride!
Rating: 
Summary: A Disappointment...
Review: Luke McLain was tired. Since the death of his parents, he and his younger brother had been running their familys ranch and trying to keep up with the house on their own.
Luke was getting older...he wanted things like a clean home and a warm meal...someone to come home to at the end of the day. He also wanted children.
He needed a wife.
Eleanor Williams wanted to lay down some roots. All of her life she had moved from place to place, never really feeling wanted...never truly having a home to call her own. So, when the oh so handsome Luke McLain asks her -right out of the blue- to be his wife, Eleanor doesnt need time to think. Her answer is yes.
Both Eleanor and Luke are happy they are in agreement to marry and feel that the situation will give them what they want, only the two of them wind up getting much more than they bargained for.
"Short Straw Bride" started well. The writing was plain, but paced perfectly. There were a few too many POV shifts that sprang from nowhere, but I enjoyed the story and the characters right from the beginning. However, once Luke and Eleanor married, the book went down hill.
Eleanor became annoying. I understood some of her frustrations, but her reaction to something that she overheard was a bit melodramatic. I can see how what she listened in on could have hurt her, but I felt that Lukes explantion should have been enough to patch up any wounded feelings.
As for Luke, I just plain didnt like him. He was sweet and charming at the books beginning, but as the story progressed, he just became a complete pig.
This is one of those books where I have absolutely no idea what the characters see in eachother. They are nice in the beginning, fight thru the middle, and poof! pledge eternal love out of nowhere...
"Short Straw Bride" is not a book that I would recommend.
Rating:
Summary: A quick read...
Review: My first Dallas Schulze book was Loving Jessie which I thought was excellent. I bought this one and was a little disappointed by it. The male romatic lead, Luke, was not developed as a character to the extent that I would have liked. We never heard the words "I love you" come from their mouths. It was implied but I always like the closure at the end of books when I can hear the "I love you" spoken. Anyway, it was a good book and I do recommend it but there were a few flaws.
Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining, I could not put it down!
Review: Short Straw Bride by Dallas Schulz
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