An American Mail-Order Bride Christmas Collection from E.E. Burke

Step into Christmas Past with a #1 bestselling historical romance collection...

Available for a limited timeOnly 99 cents

Tis' the season! I've brought back two of my most popular novellas and packaged them in a box set with a brand new short story as an extra. Last week, this collection hit #1 on Amazon's Western, Historical Romance and Victorian Romance lists. It even climbed as high as #24 on the Top 100. To say I'm thrilled is an understatement!

When I set out to write two historical romances set during my favorite holiday season, I wanted to include themes that for me define the true meaning of Christmas: family ties, hope, faith, the spirit of compassion and generosity, and above all, love…the kind of love that shines through the darkness of our circumstances, even the darkness in our hearts.

Victoria, Bride of Kansas started as part of an unprecedented project with 45 other authors, the American Mail-Order Brides series. This book, about a lonely socialite who travels over a thousand miles to find true love, was also a finalist in the 2016 Booksellers’ Best Awards and a semifinalist in the Kindle Best Book awards.

Santa’s Mail-Order Bride is the sequel to Victoria. I couldn’t let her meddling sister-in-law remain a spinster! This well-intentioned matchmaker has plans for a scheming Santa that backfire, with unexpected consequences. And yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. I can’t wait for you to meet him!

Victoria, Bride of Kansas

Jilted society miss Victoria Lowell travels over a thousand miles to marry an Irish suitor whose romantic letters won her heart. Upon arriving in Kansas, she discovers her betrothed has little enthusiasm for marriage and less Christmas spirit than Scrooge.

Divorced shopkeeper David O’Brien wants nothing to do with matters of the heart. However, his young daughter needs a mother, and his meddling sister believes she’s done him a favor by corresponding with a mail-order bride. Reluctantly, he holds off on revealing the author of the letters, giving Victoria until Christmas Eve to prove she can manage his troubled child. When the truth finally comes out, it will take more than a miracle to deliver a happily-ever-after in time for Christmas.

Here's a brief teaser... 

She searched his face with a look of desperate hope that sent a shudder through him. “Can you love me, David?”

The simple question struck with the force of a hard punch. He leaned back, staggered. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. He’d known from the start what she expected, what she’d come out here to find. Only, he had fooled himself into thinking he could satisfy her with physical passion. But no, she would accept nothing less than love.

Sadness pulled at her eyes. “I didn’t think so.”

Santa’s Mail-Order Bride

Schoolteacher Maggie O’Brien comes home for Christmas on a mission: to gather toys for orphans living on poor farms in Kansas. She's made her list, but there's no Santa in sight. Not until a local shopkeeper volunteers his services.

Gordon Sumner sets his mind on winning the black-haired Irish beauty, but Maggie’s brother is his fiercest competitor and O’Brien’s loyal sister gives him the cold shoulder. Undaunted, he comes up with a clever plan. However, Maggie has her own plans for the scheming Santa...plans that don't include falling in love.

Here's a brief teaser:

She tasted of peppermint and tea, a delicious combination, somehow sweet and seductive at the same time. Holding her tight against him, he sampled the flavor on her lips, which softened and parted beneath his. 

Sum longed to linger, to feast…but not here, in front of a giggling dressmaker. He’d only intended a brief kiss, just enough to let her know what it could be like between them, as well as to make it clear to the rest of the world that he’d laid claim to her.

With a shocked gasp, she stepped backwards, her cheeks flaming. “H-have you lost your mind?” 

Perhaps. Coming to a decision as important as marriage within a few days was madly spontaneous, even for him. He hoped he wouldn’t regret it, but at the moment he couldn’t dredge up one ounce of caution. “Can’t Santa kiss his wife under the mistletoe?”

The Christmas Wish

In this short story, a young orphan who has never known love gets his Christmas wish.

A little history...

These two books are set in the late 1800s in Fort Scott, Kansas, and feature characters from my first novel, Her Bodyguard (set 20 years earlier). I had so much fun learning about the history of this quaint town and the pioneers who settled here. I hope through these books you’ll come to love Fort Scott as much as I do. 

A little inspiration...

I do a lot of research when I’m preparing to write a book. I also like to travel to the locations I write about. There’s something about physically being at a place and seeing it and experiencing it that makes it so much more real to me, which helps with my writing. I visit historical sites and museums. Go into the library or wherever they keep historical pictures and documents. In Fort Scott, two leaders in the local Historical Preservation Society gave me access to their private libraries and amazing collection of vintage photographs. What a treasure! I cherish those gifts.

I’m a visual thinker, so I like to gather images of people, too. I pin research and inspiration images on my Pinterest site, including images of people, places and things that inspire me. 

Check out my inspiration and follow my boards, if you'd like. 

  https://www.pinterest.com/authoreeburke/

You can find out more about my books at my website. 
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A special memory...

I had a very special Christmas one year with my family. Just the four of us (me, my mom, dad and younger brother), went to the mountains of Western North Carolina and spent Christmas together. Nothing fancy. We cut down our own tree, made decorations, we didn't even have lights; we baked, read stories together and sang carols. We had an old-fashioned Christmas. At the time, I was 15 and I recall not wanting to go and be "stuck" with my parents! The only reason I finally agreed was the chance I might get to see snow (a big deal for a Florida girl). When we got there, something magical happened. It's call familial bonds. 

One night I curled up on the couch next to my dad and we read The Christmas Story together. We talked about history and books (two of my favorite topics).

And on Christmas Eve, it snowed. 

My father died when I was 21. I didn't know, as a teenager, that I would only have him for a few more years. But, oh how I cherish the memory of that night we sat together and read and bonded in a way we'd never bonded before.

Do you have a special Christmas memory you could share with me?