Maryanne Makes a Detour: clean romance novels, #1

By Kent Hamilton

interrupted Bridal Journey Part One

Maryanne had been raised by her aunt, somewhat reclusively. Without any male suitors even knowing about her, let alone showing any interest, she decides to offer herself as a mail-order bride.

Thomas is a successful businessman on the other side of the country, who up to now has had no inclination to get married. He now feels the need, however, and contacts a mail-order bridal agency. Upon receiving details of Maryanne from the agency, he writes to her and makes an offer of marriage.

Maryanne finds Thomas's letters dull and devoid of any spark, but at the urging of her aunt, decides to accept his offer anyway.

She boards the train to travel to San Francisco to join him, on which she meets a couple who happen to know Thomas. She extracts from them, more by omission than anything else, the fact that Thomas really is rather staid.

Into the mix is thrown a soldier, Peter, who arrives in Maryanne's compartment abruptly during a Shawnee ambush. They are immediately attracted to each other, and after a whirlwind romance aboard the train, with Peter showing her various things outside her experience, including taking her onto the roof of a car, which then goes through a tunnel, he proposes to her, and she accepts, all the while understanding that Peter will not be able to provide for her nearly as well as Thomas would have been able. But she thinks that love will find a way. 

She and Thomas get married and set up home in Omaha, and seem blissfully happy. Maryanne falls pregnant, and she feels that things cannot get any better.

However, will love really find a way? Will Peter carry on his loving ways once a baby arrives? Will Thomas take all of this lying down?"

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Heirs Publishing Company
• Release date: Nov 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386673132

Kent Hamilton

Author Kent Hamilton has always had a natural flair for writing, right from his school years. A student of Columbia University, he has over 15 years of writing experience and is an avid reader of clean romance, dramatic fiction and the classics. Kent passion for evoking raw emotion and his honest representation of the human experience makes his work relatable to his readers. He enjoys drawing on the experiences of his surroundings, observing the behaviors of others and combining this with a healthy dose of imagination. He is a keen communicator with an eye for detail and this is reflected in his writing. Having written short stories since he was a teenager, Kent also contributes to online blogs and enjoys reviewing novels from new and established authors. He is constantly open to learning new things and thrives on reading fiction that evokes emotion and stimulated the senses. Prior to writing his clean romance novel Without a Hitch, Kent spent several years traveling around Australia where he met his current partner. He lives with her and their one year old daughter and his other passions include cooking, photography and film. Without a Hitch is a novel that questions the notion of true, lasting love and draws the reader into the hearts of its protagonists. Kent has recently started another romance story which he hopes to publish next year.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Maryanne opened the letter carefully, and smoothed it out on the table. She began reading.

Dear Maryanne,

I am most pleased to make your acquaintance. As you will see from the letterhead, my name is Thomas Worthington, and I live in San Francisco.

I am a cloth manufacturer and have my own factory which is doing reasonably well. I am 37 years old, and have never been married. This has been mainly due to my spending my time building up my business.

However, I now find that the business doesn't require my full attention, and the need for a feminine influence in my life is becoming apparent. Plus I am becoming aware of the fact that I shall require an heir.

This was the motivation for my contacting Brides By Mail, who put your name forward as a possible wife for me.

They included a photograph in their letter to me, and you seem to be what I am searching for.

I offer you a secure life, free from financial stresses, a large house to run, with servants for the menial chores, and the prospect of having children after an appropriate interval.

Should you accept my offer, kindly reply to this letter. I shall then arrange to wire funds to you for your journey to San Francisco, and other sundries as may be necessary to affect your move. You will be accommodated in a separate part of my house while wedding arrangements are being made, and once married we shall share the main quarters.

I await your reply.

I am, Yours Truly, Thomas Worthington, Esq.

Maryanne sat and looked at the letter. He does sound a bit stuffy, don't you think, Mr. Tibbles? She tickled the cat, who replied with an assenting purr. But a life of relative ease; that's not to be dismissed lightly! Let's ask Aunt Hilda what she thinks.

Maryanne's parents had died while she was young, and she had been raised by her aunt. She, however, had rather narrow views on  Maryanne's socializing with the opposite sex, resulting in Maryanne's reaching the age of 23 without any suitors even knowing about her, let alone asking for her hand. For this reason she had decided to contact Brides By Mail. Her aunt had been initially against the idea, but she eventually saw that trying to stop the girl from having a normal life was simply being selfish on her own part, and she had finally assented to the idea.

Aunt, I have received an offer from a gentleman in San Francisco. Tell me what you think. She gave her aunt the letter.

Aunt Hilda finished reading the letter. She put it down, and then looked at Maryanne. As much as I shall miss having you around, I do feel it is the best for you. It would seem that he will provide for you handsomely.

Yes, aunt, but what about love? What about passion? This letter is as dry as dust. And he doesn't even include a photograph of himself! What if I don't like the way he looks?

"Child,