February 2011

Lacy Williams was honored to have her debut book, MARRYING MISS MARSHAL, win the historical category in the 2009 Genesis awards. She writes historical romance for Love Inspired and has two more books contracted for release in 2012. She is a lifelong Oklahoma resident and a wife and mom.

Read more about Lacy Williams.

Title: Second Chance Brides
Author: Vickie McDonough
Publisher: Barbour
Genre: Historical Romance
Date: September 2010
ISBN: 978-1602606487
Reviewed by: Lacy J. Williams

Vickie McDonough’s second book in the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series is as delightful as her first. The main characters in Second Chance Brides are some of the secondary characters from the first book, The Anonymous Bride. Readers will enjoy following their adventures in life and love.

(McDonough’s) deft hand includes just the right amount of backstory and character interaction to make me salivate for the third book.

In the first book, mail-order brides Shannon O’Neil and Leah Bennett come to Texas to escape their current circumstances, only to find themselves—and two other women—competing for the hand of town marshal Luke Davis. Shannon and Leah are left stranded in Lookout, Texas, without a way to support themselves.

In Second Chance Brides, an injury leaves one of the Corbett brothers (the instigators of the whole bride fiasco) incapacitated, and Shannon agrees to work in his office. She finds herself attracted to the prankster, but he doesn’t seem to return her regard. Meanwhile, Leah Bennett develops feelings for the local livery owner. But when his family circumstances change, she balks at the idea of marrying into the same situation she left behind. Will these two brides ever find the husbands God meant for them?

Readers will appreciate the lively pace McDonough keeps in Second Chance Brides. With such a big cast of characters (almost an ensemble), the author has to work to keep the reader’s attention on each character’s storyline, but she makes it seem effortless, with tight transitions and enough conflict to go around.

I was captivated by one of the secondary storylines (Jack and Butch) to the point that by the time I finished the book, I had to jump on Amazon to find out if these characters would appear in book three. McDonough makes me feel for these characters, even without using too much “page time.” Her deft hand includes just the right amount of backstory and character interaction to make me salivate for the third book. I recommend Second Chance Brides for its unique, loveable characters, its charming Texas setting, and its “unputdownable” pacing.