We're going Western and Sue Lyndon is here to lead the charge.
Spanking Stories Book Club – Mail Order
Switch by Patty Devlin
Blurb:
Liz will do anything to get
away from her evil guardian, and she was prepared to disguise herself as a boy
and look for work as a ranch hand. When Caroline, a stranger on the train next
to her, sees through her "boy" disguise, and begs her to take her
place as a mail-order bride, Liz doesn't hesitate long before saying yes. It's
got to be easier than working on a ranch, and as a married woman with a new
name, she'll be out of her guardian's clutches forever.
Wade Malone has been looking
forward to his new bride for months, but when "Caroline" finally
arrives, things don't exactly add up. For one, "Caroline" was
supposed to be twenty-five years old; the woman who came off the train doesn't
look a day above sixteen. He has a strong aversion to liars, particularly in a
wife. But he's also a man who keeps his promises and whoever the woman is at
his side, he's made a commitment.
That doesn't mean he's not
going to handle his new bride very firmly indeed. Then, against all odds, Liz
starts to fall for the no-nonsense rancher and his family. How will she ever
keep him from finding out the complete truth about the switch?
Thanks, Celeste, for having me today.
It’s always fun to end the week with Spanking Stories Book Club!
If you haven’t read Mail Order Switch yet, I highly
recommend it. I mean, a western spanking romance with a mail order bride
switcheroo plot? What’s not the love about that? I really enjoyed the book and
thought Liz and Wade were well-suited for one another. Wade suspects something
is amiss with his new wife because she’s obviously a lot younger than she told
him in her letters, but despite knowing she’s not being totally truthful with
him, he marries her anyway because he made a commitment to do so. Then the fun
(and the spankings) start as the couple begin their life as husband and wife.
Questions:
1. Liz is on the run from her evil guardian
and she has two choices: Try to disguise herself as a boy and get a job on a
ranch OR take the place of a mail order bride and marry a complete stranger.
She chooses the latter. Given the time period, her options were obviously very
limited. Do you think she made the right choice, even though it meant deceiving
her new husband? Would you have done the same thing?
2. When Wade asks Liz how old she really
is and she confesses to lying, he scolds her and she becomes upset, thinking
perhaps he is just like her evil Uncle Rupert. She begs him to take her back to
town, but he refuses, so she jumps from the wagon, thus earning her first
spanking from her new husband. What do you think about Wade spanking her so
soon after their wedding?
3. Wade knows Caroline (Liz) hasn’t been
completely truthful with him about her past, but he’s still kind to her and
treats her fairly, believing he needs to honor the commitment he made in
marriage to her. I really admired that about him. What did you admire most
about Wade? If you haven’t read the book yet, what traits do you admire most in
a hero?
Thanks for joining in this discussion
today!
Good morning, spankos! :) First person to leave a comment gets a cookie:)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Mail Order Switch and thought it was well written. I do think Liz was justified in lying to Wade and pulling the switcheroo because she was desperate and her options were limited. And I thought he was honorable to take her in even when he suspected she was lying to him. I"m glad, Patty, that you didn't write the story in a such a way that he was totally hoodwinked. That he suspected she was up to something, but still took care of her says a lot about his character.
ReplyDeleteI did take issue with some of the things he did. I don't think he should have forced her to sleep in his bed. Given the sensibilities of the time period, I felt that it was tantamount to him going back on his word about it being a marriage in name only even though he didn't force her to have sex with him. I understand her shock and dismay.
I think Wade was too quick to spank and for the slightest provocation. I don't see that working in real life. She tried hard to be a good wife, and when she told a little white lie about the stove not working because she couldn't cook, he spanked her. I didn't like him in that moment.
I also wish there had been some hint of his DD expectations in his letters. Not a lot, but a hint. He was very forthright about it being a name-only marriage, but there was no mention that he would rule with an open hand. Going from the sweetness and humbleness of his letters to this stern rancher who won't put up with any crap seemed almost like a personality switch.
But those were minor things for me. I enjoyed this book very much and read it in one sitting.
Cara, you get the cookie! :)
DeleteI too thought Wade should have been more open in his letters about his expectations in a wife, but then this is a tough one given the time period. If the story had been a contemporary, then he would have definitely needed to be completely upfront about DD. Some good points! Thanks for stopping by, Cara!
Wow, Cara, I'm thrilled with your in depth answer. I wish I would have had you guys as beta readers. Your answer really makes me think. thanks for your thoughts.
DeleteYou made him so real, that's why I think about these things. It's like he's a real person, and I'm thinking, why is this guy acting like this!
DeleteHi ladies. These are great questions Sue! I think Liz made the right choice. I don't think she really had much option.
ReplyDeleteAs for the second question, perhaps rather than spank, he could have discussed his expectations for their marriage with her, but on the other hand start as you mean to continue?
Hugs,
Roz
Hi, Roz! I agree that Liz made the right choice. I mean, Caroline easily saw through her disguise and knew she was a woman, so Liz probably figured more people would see through her disguise as well. She suddenly had a second option presented to her and she took it. I think a lot of people would have done the same thing even if it meant starting a relationship (a marriage, no less!) with a lie.
DeleteRoz, I like that -start as you mean to continue. I often write my books with men as I see them in my own fantasies. And so they are often much harsher then other people think they should be. It's crazy though how a single sentence would have altered that for readers often times.
DeleteGood Morning! Great questions, Sue! I enjoyed this book as well and even though there wasn't any actual sex scenes, it was sexy. At one point, I think before their first time, Wade says "Shush honey, let me love you." That was de-lish!
ReplyDeleteAnyway...it is hard to decide what he should have said in his letters since maybe that sort of discipline was the norm so it didn't need to be said? I was surprised about the bed too, but it sure moved the story along. Maybe if she'd gone and slept on the floor or sofa the first night but was miserable and then he said "don't be stupid, get in the bed."
I agree...the spankings made the book plenty sexy.
DeleteMaybe Wade figured since Caroline had been married before that she should already know what happens to disobedient wives. :)
Celeste, you made my day thanks!
DeleteWade could have said in his letters something like, "I don't bide by any nonsense, but you'll be well taken care of."
ReplyDeleteI don't bide by any nonsense---excellent. And it made me giggle. Maybe becaus I'm picturing you saying it. Or because I need more sleep.
DeleteThis book is in my TBR pile, so I'm answering based on the things the rest of you said. The fact that Caroline saw through Liz's disguise almost right away makes me think she made the only decision she could. Also, working on a ranch is hard, was she well-suited for that sort of work? If not, then she had to take the least objectionable option open to her. I'm curious though why Caroline decided she wanted to switch places with Liz. What made her change her mind, and what did she intend to do instead? I definitely need to read this book.
ReplyDeleteSeems to me Wade would clue into Liz's unnatural fear. She looked younger than twenty-five, and the fact that she attempted to run away from him after he scolded her for lying makes me think he should have realized there was more going on here than pure rebellion. Wouldn't the spanking merely have confirmed in her mind that he was no better than her evil Uncle Rupert, or did he handle her in a way that reassured her he didn't get a sadistic enjoyment out of hurting her despite his anger. Also, at some point her past has to come out, doesn't it? So, did he at any point question whether spanking her at the drop of a hat was the best way to handle her? Lying is never permissible and should be punished quickly and decisively, but perhaps a spanking wasn't always the answer. Not sure.
I don't think Wade could have simply abandoned Liz, despite suspecting she'd lied to him, so marrying her seems to be the only option he had. He would have made a poor hero if he left her to fend for herself. As for making her share his bed, I could understand if he did it for her comfort, refusing to let her sleep on the floor or on the sofa also sets the tone for their relationship. He doesn't expect her to be intimate with him right off, but he does expect her to heed what he says and tell him the truth. I could definitely respect that in a man.
Looking forward to reading this book, Patty. A lot.
Thanks for stopping by, Kathryn! You raised some interesting questions but I don't want to answer them or I might spoil some of the best parts of the book:) And I might be wrong, but I think the next book in this series is Caroline's story...am I right, Patty?
DeleteYou are very right, Sue! The Chicagoan Switch will be out soon. I don't have the release date yet.
DeleteKathryn, I always love your discussions even of the simple eight sentences on Saturday Spankings. You're a deep thinker and I like that.
I loved this book. Patty did a great job with it. I wast rapt from the first paragraph.
ReplyDeleteTo answer question #1, I think a deception is a deception. That was what she faced with either choice. If caught, neither situation would be good, however, she had the benefit of having at least some knowledge of the mail order husband. It was the best of the two choices she had to work with.
Question #2. I think the spanking was justified. She told a lie, and Wade had to make his position on lying clear to her right from the beginning. Patty set up the moral of the story quickly and decisively: do not lie.
#3. Wade was patient and generous. He gave Liz plenty of chances to come clean with him, and she chose not to take those opportunities for various reasons. I also liked the way he dealt with his children. It was clear to him that they needed a mother, and he was willing to sacrifice to get them one. The wisdom of blindly choosing one we'll blithely ignore -- he did what he had to do.
Mail Order Switch was a lovely, entertaining book, and although I tend to want sex in my spanking books, I didn't even realize that the explicit stuff wasn't there until hours after I'd finished the book. I was that much drawn into the story!
Thanks so much, Trish! I can not begin to say how fun it is to see all of these questions answered in so many ways.
DeleteHi, Trish! I agree that Wade gave Liz a lot of chances to come clean. There were a few times I wanted to yell at her to just trust him with the truth. And it was really sweet of him to make such a sacrifice for his kids. He was a great hero and so perfect for Liz, even though it took her a while to realize it. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteSue, thanks again for choosing such thought provoking questions. This has been great.
DeleteAnd, Celeste, Thank you as well for the Book club.
This is on my TBR list! I think I am moving it to the top now. I love a good hoodwinked and switcheroo plot!
ReplyDeleteI think if I were Liz I would have decided to take the mail order bride's place over pretending to be a boy. I think being a ranch hand would be hard. Although, discovering you just married a man who would spank you for anything might make you want to till the fields instead (is that what ranch hands did? no clue!).
Great discussion ladies! You are spurring my excitement to read this one!
What an exciting and informative post. I would have switched places too. Like many others I have this on my kindle, but just haven't started reading it yet.
ReplyDeleteWhat am I waiting for, book 2 is coming out soon.