This was a very enjoyable read. Fascinating story and characters. I couldn't believe how quickly I read through this book. ( )

Enjoyed this one more than I expected. When a civil war widow in Manhattan overhears a letter from the mayor of a small town in Nebraska lamenting their dearth of wives, she organizes a group of single volunteers willing to marry and begins correspondence with the mayor and their potential husbands. What could go wrong? ( )

This is a story about a woman in the east who arrange marriages with men from the west.
I wasn't totally taken by the storyline or the characters. This is more of a gentle reads. Not my cup of tea.
I have been spoiled by the likes of Rosanne Bittner and Jodi Thomas.
Although the writer does have some very interesting scenes and witty dialog there isn't enough to carry the book. Character description was lacking, I did not get who Clara was, her age, it came out later in a quick quip about her feeling like she looked like a scarecrow. But some scenes, like the time Clara remembers after she had her baby were very well written and interesting. I hung on reading in hopes of more of that type of story....
The book could have been better. The author has a lot of good material, but needs help on focus. ( )

Reviewed by: Angie
Book provided by: Publisher
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

In Need of a Good Wife follows three characters; Clara, who has suffered the loss of a child and her husband who ran away with a laundress. Rowena, whose father went mad and husband went off to war and died, leaving her virtually penniless and alone. And Elsa, a plump laundress whose faith sustains her through everything.

Clara is a strong woman used to dealing with the hardships of life. I can’t say I overly liked or disliked her…instead I will say I had much respect and admiration for how strong she stays throughout the book. The only time she showed “weakness” was when a migraine threatened to overtake her and Elsa helped her through it. Her husband, George, kept me guessing through much of the book.

I thought Rowena was going to be the sweet young woman in this novel when I first read her story; instead she’s a cunning, manipulative, backstabbing witch who uses trickery and thievery to get her way. You really hope that she changes her tune, but it takes a long time for her to get her full comeuppance.

Elsa is the character I loved most in this book. Straight forward, God-abiding Elsa just wants to find her place in the world and live a good life. She has no delusions that she or the man she goes to take care of will fall in love and get married; she just wants to enjoy life. She really grows from a meek woman throughout the book with a little help.

This is a very well researched and thought out novel. I had a very hard time putting it down once I started reading it as I enjoyed following each woman’s journey throughout. I look forward to reading other novels by this extremely talented author as she doesn’t follow the path most taken, but follows her own. ( )

Clara Bixby wants out of New York City. Her baby has died in infancy and her no good cheating husband has abandoned her. To get the money to start over she hatches a crazy plan. She is going to shepherd other ladies looking for their own escape out of the city and on to new husbands in Destination, Nebraska. The mail order brides will find new lives in a prairie town lacking in women. Among the ladies looking to head out west is middle aged Elsa, an immigrant wanting to break free from the laundry even though she thinks her chance at love has passed her by and haughty Rowena, a young beautiful widow who needs to get money to ensure her mentally ill father's continued care. Not everything works out the way Clara has planned and by the time the group arrives in Destination she has a lot of explaining to do. Some love matches occur that were not planned while other that seemed destined fall apart. Couplings and uncoupling occurs as the women try to find their places on the frontier. As Elsa says "Well, I suppose not everyone is cut out for life on the prairie. But some of us are."

This novel about women trying to make it on the prairie reminded of some of the books I have read and enjoyed by Sandra Dallas. Fans of historical fiction and women's fiction will enjoy this book. ( )