ARC REVIEW Blackthorne's Bride by Joan Johnston

Blackthorne's Bride is book four in the Mail Order Bride series. It is part of the Bitter Creek universe the Wentworth family married into the the Creed family in the previous book of this series. The Wentworth's are orphaned, their parents died in a fire and the children went to an orphanage. The older siblings one by one ran away taking the younger kids with them. The girls had no choice but answer mail order bride ads to save themselves and their siblings. Josie was with her older twin sisters in a wagon train when it was attacked by the Sioux. Josie defended herself and for that she was captured and tortured. Marcus Wharton, the Duke of Blackthorne, was in the American west with the hope of hunting buffalo what he found was a young woman with a will stronger than anything he's ever seen. After buying her from the Sioux he nursed her and brought her back to England with him. He asked his best friend and soon to be brother-in-law to make sure she made it back to her family after she healed.

Marcus continued living his life he married but his wife died along with the child she was carrying. Marcus was devastated by their deaths and finding out just how much his father squandered away a left the family and estates in desperate need of funds. In his final act of desperation Marcus put an add in the paper looking for a willing heiress. Marcus often thought about that girl he saved and where she was now.
Josie Wentworth wasn't that far way, she never made it back to America she was taken to one of Marcus' forgotten estates in Scotland and became a maid-of-all-work she grew to hate him not just  for not sending her back home but also for the abandonment of his nephews, two rambunctious boys. But that all changed the day a Pinkerton man came to the estate and told Josie that not only was her family alive and well but the money they thought was gone after their father's death had been stolen by their Uncle and was now returned to the children. She was now an heiress.

Josie hated leaving the boys behind but her plan was to convince Blackthorne to give her custody of the nephews he cares so little for and she will give him the money he needs. Josie doesn't remember what Blackthorne looks like she was too fevered to remember and she's hoping he doesn't recognize her. The plan changes slightly after meeting Marcus she agrees to marry him that way he gets his money and she has every legal right to the boys. But Blackthorne isn't who she thought he would be and she finds herself falling in love with him. Marcus is intrigued with the beautiful American who showed up on his door in just enough time to save the day. Josie hiding who she is isn't the only problem they face the Dowager Blackthorne hates Josie, Marcus' twin sisters are beautiful young woman but trouble makers and Marcus' best friend is hiding something he should have told his friend long ago.

Overall, this was a typical Joan Johnston romance novel, that's not a bad thing, I love her books it just means that the main characters go through a lot before they finally get their HEA in a way that is very telling to Joan Johnston, I could probably pick out her books anywhere. I love the Bitter Creek series but this is my first of the Mail order Bride series, I did feel a little lost not knowing everything that had happened before but not so much that I didn't enjoy the book. I will add this series to my Joan Johnston library.