It was bad enough that Abigail Grant has been forced from her rightful position in society due to her father’s criminal actions. Worse that she has been forced to offer herself as a mail order bride through Mrs Helena Bingham’s matchmaker agency. But she’s now had six matches, and rejected them all … or they’ve rejected her.
She’s down to her last chance when Mrs Bingham offers her a different role.
She has sixteen prospective grooms from a small town in Kansas. Unfortunately, their introductory letters show they are lacking in “social niceties”. But Mrs Bingham has a plan.
She is sending Abigail to Spiveyville to tutor the men and turn them into suitable grooms. And Mrs Bingham is coming to supervise. Unfortunately, the sixteen wife-seeking bachelors of Spiveyville are not well pleased when their brides don’t arrive—only two women who aren’t part of the bridal pool.
It’s a setup ripe with opportunities for humour, and Kim Vogel Sawyer does not disappoint.
The humour is more understated than obvious, but it’s there. There is also a little romance, a little suspense, and a little Christian preaching (although it’s not preachy. It’s just Mrs Bingham sometimes can’t help herself).
Mrs Bingham was a pleasant surprise as a character. My first impression of her was a benevolent dictator with a backbone of steel. She has an element of steel—I expect widowed women needed a healthy sense of their own abilities to run a successful business. But I was impressed by her compassion for the girls she matched, and her genuine desire to make good marriages for her clients.
One thing confused me a little.
I’m used to romance novels where the story is told from the points of view of the heroine and hero (and usually in that order). Under a Prairie Moon had four different points of view, which made me think it was going to be a secondary romance plot. There kind of was, but it didn’t go the way I was expecting (which isn’t bad). But it did leave me wondering why we had the extra points of view.
Overall, I enjoyed Under a Prairie Moon.
I’m sure fans of western romances, especially mail order bride stories, will enjoy it.
Thanks to WaterBrook Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Kim Vogel Sawyer
Award-winning, bestselling author Kim Vogel Sawyer wears many hats. As a wife, mother, grandmother, song-singer, cat-petter, and active participant in her church’s music and women’s ministries, her life is happily full.
But her passion lies in penning stories that share the hope we can all possess when we place our lives in God’s capable hands. She and her retired military hubby live on the beautiful plains of Kansas, the setting for many of Kim’s books.
In her free time, she enjoys quilting, traveling with “The Hubs,” and spoiling her quiverful of granddarlings.
You can find Kim Vogel Sawyer online at:
About Beneath a Prairie Moon
Abigail Brantley grew up in affluence and knows exactly how to behave in high society. But when she is cast from the social registers due to her father’s illegal dealings, she finds herself forced into a role she never imagined: tutoring rough Kansas ranchers in the subjects of manners and morals so they can “marry up” with their mail-order brides. Mack Cleveland, whose father was swindled by a mail-order bride, wants no part of the scheme to bring Eastern women to Spiveyville, Kansas, and he’s put off by the snooty airs and fastidious behavior of the “little city gal” in their midst. But as time goes by, his heart goes out to the teacher who tries so diligently to smooth the rough edges from the down-to-earth men. How can he teach her that perfection won’t bring happiness?
You can find Beneath a Prairie Moon online at:
Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong
