Deeanne Gist - A Bride in the Bargain

In 1860s Seattle, a man with a wife could secure himself 640 acres of timberland. But because of his wife's untimely death, Joe Denton finds himself about to lose half of his claim. Still in mourning, his best solution is to buy one of those Mercer girls arriving from the East. A woman he'll marry in name but keep around mostly as a cook. Anna Ivey's journey west with Asa Mercer's girls is an escape from the griefs of her past. She's not supposed to be a bride, though, just a cook for the girls. But when they land, she's handed to Joe Denton and the two find themselves in a knotty situation. She refuses to wed him and he's about to lose his land. With only a few months left, can Joe convince this provoking--but beguiling--easterner to be his bride?

Comment: Like a raindrop in the ocean, step by step I'm reading things in my TBR list. Obviously putting aside the fact I still buy books, thus adding up to same list, I'm pretty happy to be able to finish up things, namely loose books I have by several authors.
This was the case with Deeanne Gist for this was the last book by her I had to read.

This is the story of Joe, he has been working in his land for years but now everything is in danger and he might lose part of it if he doesn't present a wife, because this is one of the conditions to have the amount of land he has. When he applied he had a wife but, unfortunately, she died and now time is up to present one of loose the land.
In comes Mr Mercer, he has promised to bring widows from east to marry the men in order to increase the population and settle a city for sure. There's just a little problem, he's been telling the women they are going to be working as maids, nurses, governesses...most of them don't even imagine marriage in their future.
This is the case of Anna, a cook who's desperate to run from her daring boss, fearing for her life due to his threats. When she embarks she thinks she's going to be the cook for a group of working men but at her arrival, she realizes she was duped and meets Joe, the man she's supposed to marry. She refuses the marriage but he accepts her in his house to cook for his crew and soon they're falling in love and creating a life for them.

I liked this story a lot, it was so sweet and easy to read. Sometimes this is exactly what I need to decompress from harsher reads. This story isn't complicated and emotionally hard, it's a romantic story of finding love and taking care of it.
Joe is a good protagonist, he never forces Anne to do anything and is very proper to her, although he's desperate to secure his land. When faces with the choice between her and the land, we realize just how much in love Joe is and although that part made me a bit sad, after all it's always hard to give up on a dream, I was happy because he would gain a woman who'd be on his side forever. The book didn't end there and the final twist was a balsam in their troubles.
Anna was very sure of her ideas and beliefs and she didn't want to fall in love but she did and I liked how she also learned her lesson, that she can depend on someone she cares about.
This is a pure romance, there isn't anything explicit or rehearsed to make the book something it is not. I liked it especially for its innocence, which I knew I'd get.
This is labeled inspirational but like in her other novels it doesn't make the reader distracted or anything, it's all very subtle. I recommend it to anyone wishing for a sweet, easy, uncomplicated read.