About the Book

Book: The Rancher’s Unexpected Bride

Author: Lauralyn Keller

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: March 25, 2025

In the rugged Montana Territory, a Boston socialite’s bid for freedom collides with a rancher’s quest for a family.

According to Boston’s elite society, Ella Mountbatten has it all: status, prestige, and a bright future. What they don’t know is that her life as a socialite has become a gilded cage of abuse and oppression under the control of her cruel fiancé and domineering parents. Desperate to escape, Ella flees Boston and seeks refuge in the small town of Harmony Springs, Montana Territory, where her former friend now resides as the sheriff. But with her family determined to drag her back to Boston, Ella’s hard-won freedom—and her very life—hang precariously in the balance.

Rancher, Cody Brooks, is ill-equipped to be the guardian of three orphaned children. But that’s the situation he’s in after the death of his best friend. Now, what he needs is a wife to help provide love and stability to his makeshift family. So when a runaway heiress arrives in need of protection, it seems a marriage of convenience may be the answer to both their prayers.

But with danger closing in from Boston and the challenges of building a new life together, Cody and Ella must confront their deepest fears and desires. Can their marriage of convenience blossom into true love, or will the shadows of Ella’s past tear apart the fragile hope they’ve found in Harmony Springs?

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About the Author

Lauralyn Keller loves to combine history and romance in stories that touch the heart. She lives in beautiful Colorado and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and reading.

More from Lauralyn

Stories have a funny way of percolating in my mind. I’ll be driving or doing dishes or some other mundane activity, and all of a sudden, an idea pops into my head. What my mind does with it then determines the course of a story.

Here’s a peek at my thought process for The Rancher’s Unexpected Bride.

Marriage of convenience stories are fun—maybe I could write one. Oooh, and I love Montana. It should take place there. Historical, of course, since stepping back in time is also fun. Hmmm….who should the characters be? Maybe a socialite….or an heiress….where would someone like that be from? Philly? New York? Ooh, I know—Boston! Yeah, Boston. Let’s see, her name can be Ella, though that doesn’t sound terribly high society. Maybe Ariella, but she prefers being called Ella. And she wants to leave town because she feels that society life is suffocating her. Hmmm, that doesn’t quite seem like a strong enough reason. Oh! She comes from a stuffy family….with harsh parents….and an abusive fiance. That’s why she runs away. I can iron out the details later. Okay, so Ella runs from Boston to Montana. Now, who’s her love interest? A farmer might work, but why would they agree to a marriage of convenience? I suppose Ella could be a mail-order bride….hmmm, no, that might not work. She needs to leave in a hurry (the why to be determined later). Maybe the guy (let’s call him Cody—that’s a good name) is a widower raising young kids and needs a wife to help. Or….no, he took in the kids after their parents died. That’ll create an immediate need for a wife. Perfect! Actually, I think he should be a rancher instead.

And just like that, a story is born. Sometimes it comes to me in moments, other times in weeks. This story developed over a couple of years. I wrote one draft, decided it was too fluffy, and ended up giving it a complete rewrite. I’m very happy with how Ella and Cody’s story turned out. It’s a sweet, love-comes-softly romance, and I hope you enjoy it.

Interview with Lauralyn

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I loved writing even in childhood. In first grade, we were given blank books and asked to retell a fairy tale, complete with pictures. I chose Cinderella and remember enjoying every minute of that project—little me was so proud of the final product. That planted the seed. In my teenage years I dabbled in novel writing as a hobby, enjoying it but never getting past the first five chapters. Even so, I knew I wanted to write books. That dream wasn’t realized until COVID hit. With everything shut down and slow to reopen, I needed a creative outlet. That’s when I started writing in earnest. By the end of 2020, I had a full-length novel and a passion for creating more stories. That’s when I knew my childhood dream was finally a reality.

What is your real-life work schedule like when writing?

I work full time as a kindergarten teacher, a job I love as much as writing. So from 7:00 am to 3:30 pm, I’m at school. When I get home in the afternoon, I take some time to relax and prepare dinner. Then most evenings I try to get in an hour or so of writing. Sometimes, if I’m not too tired and am feeling very motivated, I’ll write for two hours. I average between six to eight hours of writing a week. While that isn’t ideal with deadlines, it tends to work out. On weekends, when I have more time, I focus on writing in the morning, when I’m naturally more productive.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

That characters talk to you. It’s the strangest thing, and it makes you sound like a nut case when talking to non-authors. But my characters literally will have conversations in my head, either with each other or with me. I remember driving home from work one day, looking forward to writing an intense scene near the end of my first book that revealed the villain’s identity. I was mapping it out in my head, when the villain calmly informed me he wasn’t, in fact, the bad guy. I slapped my steering wheel and shouted, “What do you mean, you’re not the bad buy?! That is literally why I created you!” I’m glad no one else was in the car with me.

Turns out, my character was right. Which meant I then had to go back and edit the entire villain arc with someone else as the baddie. This is why I don’t plan out my stories—every single time I have, the characters want to go in a different direction, and I can’t force them otherwise. That is not something I expected to deal with when I first started writing. Now I look forward to it.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

So far, I have completed four novels. Two are part of a self-published trilogy called The Marivale Chronicles, which takes place in a fictional Eastern European country a few years after WWII, as communism is spreading. The other two books are part of a series published by Wild Heart Books—Second Chances in Harmony Springs. The first, The Rancher’s Unexpected Bride, releases March 11. The second, The Reverend’s Second Chance, comes out in July.

My favorite is A Future Not Their Own, the first book in The Marivale Chronicles. While it’s not my best work—and I plan on revising and republishing it down the road—the main characters, Adrian and Juliette, are close to my heart. They feel like friends or family members. Their relationship amidst the turmoil and uncertainty surrounding their small country is sweet and uplifting. I love the marriage of convenience, love comes softly tropes, and that’s what I went with for these characters. It’s a royal love story, as Adrian is a prince and Juliette a noblewoman, but as some readers have told me, they feel very down-to-earth and laid back. It was fun bringing in multiple points of view in this story, and everything sets up well for the sequels. I think this one will always be my favorite, simply because it was the book that started it all.

Any current or upcoming projects you’d like to tell us about?

I’m currently working on book three in the Second Chances in Harmony Springs trilogy. The manuscript is due at the end of April, and I’m really enjoying this story. The main character, Tori, is unlike any character I’ve written before. She’s so much fun—feisty yet tenderhearted.

Once that book is complete, I plan on writing the third book in The Marivale Chronicles. It’s been about two and a half years since I published the second book, so this one is long overdue. I’m looking forward to completing that series and giving it the finale it deserves. The third book features one of my favorite tropes—friends to lovers. I’m very excited to write it.

Blog Stops

Maureen’s Musings, April 1

Texas Book-aholic, April 2

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 3

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 4

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, April 5

Devoted To Hope, April 6

lakesidelivingsite, April 7

Stories By Gina, April 8 (Author Interview)

Pause for Tales, April 8

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 9

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 10

Simple Harvest Reads, April 11 (Guest Review from Melissa)

For Him and My Family, April 12

Holly’s Book Corner, April 13

A Reader’s Brain, April 14 (Author Interview)

Bizwings Book Blog, April 14

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Lauralyn is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54189