Love Historical
Romances? Try Loving a Wild Stranger
By
Kelli A. Wilkins
www.kelliwilkins.com
Today I’m sharing an inside look and an excerpt from my historical
romance, Loving a Wild Stranger. This full-length pioneer-wilderness
romance is set in the Michigan Territory and blends adventure with a sensual
love story.
Here’s the summary:
A woman running from her past…
straight into the arms of an untamed man
In a moment of desperation, Kathleen Stanton
flees her pampered life in Kingston, New York and ends up stranded in a small
town in the Michigan Territory. Out of money and forced to rely on her
instincts, she impersonates a handsome stranger’s mail-order bride.
Committed to her deception, Kathleen calls herself Michelle
and starts her new life with Luther in an isolated cabin in the wilderness. Luther can’t believe his luck when his beautiful bride
arrives, but something doesn’t feel right about his new wife. Michelle has
terrifying nightmares involving a man named Roger and is reluctant to talk
about where she came from.
Luther’s friend, Redfeather visits and tries to convince Luther to send
Michelle back east. Distrusting Michelle, he warns Luther that his bride is not
what she seems. But Luther is in love with Michelle, and he is harboring a
secret of his own—one that might force Michelle to reject him when she learns
the truth.
Michelle falls in love with Luther and adapts to her new way
of life. Together, they face off against brutal townspeople and overcome harsh
living conditions. When they finally give in to their desires and agree to
become a proper man and wife, a dark figure from Michelle’s past resurfaces and
threatens to destroy everything.
***
The idea for this book started with a simple premise: a
woman on the run impersonates a mountain man’s mail-order bride and lives in
his cabin in the woods. From there, I thought about the characters and how they
would interact, learn to live with each other, and naturally, fall in
love.
But before I started writing, I went to the library and did a
lot of research. First, I had to decide on the time period. When and where I
set my story would determine all the necessary details that bring the
characters to life—and also influence the plot.
Once the time period was finalized, I needed to learn
aboutmail-order brides, fur trapping and trading, Native Americans, and get an
overall feel for what life was like back then. As I wrote the book, I
incorporated my research as background information. This gives the story a rich
historical feel without going overboard with details that might bog down the
book or bore readers.
I had a lot of fun creating the characters and all the
conflicts that take place between them. Michelle and Luther are very different
people—sort of like a city mouse and a country
mouse—and I played on their differences in
lifestyles, clothing, expectations, etc. throughout the book. When Luther’s
friend Redfeather arrives, Michelle realizes how far she is out of her comfort
zone and begins to see her situation (and Luther) in a new light.
As Luther and Michelle get to know each other (and fight for
each other) they realize they have a lot more in common than they once thought.
They both had to fend for themselves to survive in a rough world, with little
or no family support. This brings them closer together and makes their love
stronger.
I enjoyed writing this book, and I hope readers will fall in
love with the characters the way I did.
Here’s an
excerpt:
Kathleen’s knees shook as she strode down the
sidewalk toward the livery. She had to get out of the store before there was
trouble. She felt sorry for that man, Luther. He’d seemed nice enough when he
gave her back her glove.
The coach waited near the livery, and her
trunks still sat on the sidewalk. She had some time left. What should she do?
She didn’t dare get back on the coach, but this town was awful and she didn’t
want to stay here. Perhaps she could throw herself on the mercy of the church.
There had to be one somewhere and the reverend would take her in. Or would he?
Kathleen crossed the street and entered the
livery. A round-faced man slouching behind the counter straightened up.
“You must be from the stage,” he said, gazing
at the front of her dress.
She folded her arms across her bosom and
looked him square in the eye. “How did you know?” she asked, her voice dripping
with sarcasm.
“Because I’ve been with all the women in town
and you ain’t one of ’em. You Clyde’s new girl? I’d pay two dollars for a night
with you.” He winked.
“How dare you! I’m looking for the church.”
The man spit a stream of tobacco juice on the
floor next to her brown boots. “We ain’t got a church. If you ain’t the new
whore, then what are you doin’ here?”
She spotted the newspaper the man had open on
the counter in front of him. An advertisement for wedding lace gave her an
idea. “I’m a mail-order bride.”
“That so?” He scowled. “Who’s the lucky man?”
Kathleen twisted her skirts and tried to
stall for time. “There’s a problem with the papers you see…”
She glanced out the window. The driver stood
near the coach, scratching his head. A second later, she heard the familiar
clomp of boots on the sidewalk. This was her one chance. It had to work. She
had always trusted her instincts, and now she could only think of one answer.
Her gut told her to take the risk. “Luther’s his name and—”
“Luther?” The liveryman’s eyes widened.
“Well, you’re in the right place.” He arched an eyebrow. “You sure it’s
Luther?”
She nodded as the coach pulled away. All hope
of escape left town in a swirl of dust. Her trunks lay abandoned on the
sidewalk. There was no going back now. This man thought she was a mail-order
bride. She tried to remember what she’d read about them. It sounded simple, a
man sent money to a company and they sent a wife.
She tensed as the livery door opened.
“Hey, Karl. I pulled the wagon—” Luther
stopped as he spotted her.
She averted her gaze and smoothed her skirts,
suddenly ashamed of her appearance. What man would accept her unwashed and
dusty?
The liveryman laughed. “Hell, Luther, looks
like ya got more than you thought goin’ home with ya.”
“What’s that mean?”
Kathleen closed her eyes. What had she done?
This wasn’t a game anymore.
“Seems your wife came special delivery on the
coach.”
“My
what?”
***
Order
Loving a Wild Stranger here:
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6M551H
All
other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/4N1DGN
Read
5-star reviews here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/loving-a-wild-stranger
I hope you enjoyed this inside look at the making of Loving
a Wild Stranger.I welcome comments and questions from readers. Be sure
to follow my blog for the latest updates and visit me on social media!
Happy
Reading,
Kelli A. Wilkins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 24 romance novels, and 9 mystery/thriller/horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes to scare readers with her horror, mystery, and thriller fiction.
Her latest book, The Route 9 Stalker, was
published in January 2026. This mystery/thriller is set in Central NJ and
follows Detective Jim Rourke on a disturbing new case. Meet him for the first
time in The Route 9 Killer.
Kelli’s 24th
romance, For Love’s Sake, an epic historical/fantasy
romantic adventure, was published in 2025.
In 2024, she
released Surreal Escapes, a collection of 7
speculative/spooky stories. Anything can—and does—happen in this anthology.
Follow Kelli on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and visit her website/blog www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list, social media links, and more.
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