A Bride at Last by Melissa Jagears

(Unexpected Brides Book #3) Christian Historical Romance set in Missouri 1885. Kate and Silas both grew up without parents in abusive, lonely backgrounds. Kate had been a mail-order bride once, and Silas had married one - each with less than perfect results - and neither is ready to act so quickly again. Anthony is Kate's student, but she has been supporting him and his mother for some time. As his mother dies, Kate is planning on taking Anthony in to raise, but his mother said that she notified the boy's father. The person Anthony's mother wrote to is Silas, not the man he had been calling Pa.

Silas was never aware that he had a son. However this other man had been using Anthony to support his gambling habit, so he's not ready to give up custody. Neither is Kate, and Silas becomes attached to Anthony even before having proof that he's his father.

In the meantime, fearing he'll be separated from Kate by either of the men, Anthony runs away. Silas has to get back to his ranch, but doesn't want to give up looking for the boy. As time goes by both Kate and Silas have to come to grips with mistakes they made in the past and in learning how to trust another person. Yet each is desperate for real love in their lives. There were several times I thought that the story would be wrapped up, but another twist appeared - and I was glad that it continued. I think it's wonderful that the author included an epilogue to tell what happened as time went on. I highly recommend this as an excellent read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Bethany House Publishers - Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials inAdvertising.” 

My reviews:
Goodreads 
BAM
Pinterest 
Twitter
GooglePlus 
ChristianBook 
Amazon  
BookFun 
LibraryThing
Shelfari