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A Bride for Nathan

The Proxy Brides, Book 3

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A Bride for Nathan

By: Barbara Goss
Narrated by: Leonor A Woodworth
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About this listen

Can a marriage by proxy work when the couple has never met?

Nathan, a widower, is critically injured in a Civil War battle and lies on his death bed. His best friend, Ben, promises to care for his daughter, Belle.

Ben’s sister, Allison, is doomed to become a spinster, so she jumps at the chance to become a widow rather than a spinster when Ben suggests she marry Nathan. She must do it quickly, because the doctor said he wouldn’t last out the week.

A problem arises after the marriage - Nathan doesn't die, and the couple comes to the realization they need to end the marriage or try to live as a family to make the best of the situation for the child.

Can Nathan live with Allie's problem, and can Allie cope with Nathan’s disability? Will the platonic arrangement become permanent, or will the couple come to fall in love?

©2018 Barbara Goss (P)2019 Barbara Goss Christian Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Romance Western Romance Westerns Marriage

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This story was so engaging that I listened to it nonstop. Wounded soldier, Nathan, is not expected to live, especially after losing a leg in battle. He is a widower and has no other relatives to care for his 5yo daughter. His best friend, Ben, accompanies him home and then suggests that Nathan marry his spinster sister who will be able to care fore Nathan's daughter. This is during the civil war and proxy/mail order brides were a thing. Allison is approaching 30 and is still unwed...her mother is trying to change that and is match-making her with someone that Allie does not want. When her brother Ben, writes Allie and suggests that she marry his dying friend in order to care for his little girl, she believes that this is just the break that she needs! Since time is of the essence, Ben sends a marriage certificate that Allie can sign and have the local minister witness, so she is married without even meeting her groom. However, instead of waiting until Nathan passes to head to her new home, Ben summons Allie immediately since her current care provider has died. Allie arrives and bonds with Nathan's daughter and, to her surprise, Nathan is recovering well. Will Allie stay now that Nathan is on the mend and doesn't really need her? Can Nathan overcome the anger/guilt from the loss of his wife, and will he reveal the secret regarding her death? Great story, well developed characters and I look forward to Ben's story. Narration was perfect for these characters.
I voluntarily accepted a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

the wounded soldier & his proxy bride

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Whenever Barbara Goss releases an audio, I can't wait to listen. This one has taken my heart! Nathan is a soldier, wounded in the line of duty. Not expected to live, his best friend Ben suggests he marry his sister, Allie so that Nathan's daughter will be well taken care of. Marriage by proxy, Allie becomes his wife, but ends up going to his home prior to his death. And with the help of good care, a fighting will and love, Nathan recovers! But now what will happen? I fell in love with this couple. Nathan is a broken man, a young widow and has had trouble with relationships. Allie is convinced that she should be a spinster, but truly loves her new stepdaughter and feels at home with Nathan. The two have issues well beyond their own relationship. Will their faith guide them to be together? It's a lovely story, and it is a smart, loving and well written listen.

Leonor A Woodworth brings this story to life. I love anything she narrates, always full of emotion and paced perfectly. I love her array of voices and she can portray characters in a way that I feel that I know them. She does a wonderful job with Nathan and Allie, and she is spot on with their daughter! Loved it!

Beautiful story

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A Bride for Nathan is a historical romance set in nineteenth century America. Civil War soldier, Nathan, is critically injured in battle and agrees to a "marriage by proxy" to ensure that his daughter, Belle, remains cared for. Believing himself to be on his deathbed Nathan marries his best friend's sister, a spinster whose own future would be much more secure with the status of a 'widow' - even if she hasn't met the groom. But the newlyweds plan goes awry when Nathan lives and they must find a way to move forward with their lives despite being thrown together so unexpectedly.


This was my first 'proxy bride' story, not only in this series but in the genre as a whole, so I felt some kinship with Nathan and Allie as they faced the unfamiliarity of their new situation and struggled to adjust to the changes in their circumstances. 


The narrator, Leonor Woodworth, has a pleasant voice. Soft and delicate, it suits Allie's shy, anxious, character well, capturing her hesitancy and naivety, but is a little childish in tone for a woman of her age. The narrator handles the male voices well, and creates an endearing performance as five-year-old Belle.


I liked the idea and warmed to the characters, but felt as though it needed refining. I believe that the story would have benefitted tremendously from some conflict or tension, as many of the points at which one would normally expect the characters to struggle were only fleetingly addressed. Aside from resisting sympathy Nathan managed his anger without taking his frustrations out on others, his friendship with Allie grew swiftly, and Belle took to her new mother (and the return of the father she'd never known) without any difficulty or adjustment - despite having been left alone with her deceased childminder for two days prior to the formation of her new family. Allie's anxiety also ebbed and flowed at convenient points in the story, allowing her to rally whenever needed and never really causing the paralysing inconvenience which often characterises social anxiety in real life. 


It was refreshing to have both protagonists in this story battling with their own disabilities - one physical and one psychological - and I particularly enjoyed the ways in which the overlapping facets of their conditions were treated. Nathan's amputation may have been brutally physical in nature but its lasting impact was on his confidence, and Allie's insecurity may be her main diagnosis but the way it presented as panic attacks and tremors was far more incapacitating. Neither experience was given any more or less validity than the other, and both were heroic in their own ways. 


I wish this audiobook had been twice as long, but had spent the additional time exploring the raw experiences that these damaged characters would really have had to overcome in order to grow together as the book progressed. At the moment it feels like the abridged, hallmark-channel version of a more interesting story, and that's a shame because ultimately it does not do the characters justice. There's a lot to like about the characters and the main plot of the book, and several of the supporting characters were also strong enough to have carried stories of their own, and it is because of this that I would have liked their experiences to have been presented with more honesty and depth. 


A Bride for Nathan is a very sweet, innocent, romance with a distinctly Christian tone. I would recommend this audiobook to anyone who likes stories in that genre and is looking for a relatively lightweight listen that focuses upon the growing relationship between the main couple without too many obstacles keeping them from their happily ever after. 


*I received this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

A sweet Christian romance in the aftermath of war

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