Sixteen Civil War widows are going to need all the courage and faith they canmuster to survive their unwanted circumstances--especially when they b...
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reviews
Dec 05, 2011
Rachel
rated it: 
The title of this book is terribly misleading. Sixteen women embark on a journey to claim land in the west. Most of them are widows, though a few are on the run from abusive husbands. Unfortunately, the real reason they're being taken west is to become brides for men who already own land, because there's a shortage of women inhabiting the harsh land. The whole truth comes out before they reach their destination, so the women choose to split ways. Half stay in Plum Grove to attempt new lives free
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Sep 15, 2011
Laura
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It's difficult for me to put a number of stars to this book because there were some things that I really disliked about it, yet I kept reading it because I was gripped by some of the storylines. First of all, I must not have paid close attention to the Amazon reviews because I didn't realize that this book is very heavy-handed with Christianity. At first I was able to ignore it, since it seemed to fit with the time period, but after a while it got quite preachy. I was also really annoyed by t
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Aug 23, 2011
Brenda
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I really liked this book! Sixteen women decide to travel to Saint Louis to claim land knowing that if they work the land for five years it will legally belong to them. One of the women finds out that the town that they are supposed to arrive at has men ready to claim each of them for a dance at least and wishes to marry them. They have paid for the first dance with each particular women. One woman blows the whistle on the plan and eight (I believe) of the woemen refuse to move on to the last
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Aug 18, 2011
Miranda
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Sep 23, 2010
Jennifer
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Every once in awhile I like to 'cleanse the palate', so to speak, from the trashy romance novels and pick up some Christian fiction. Usually it's of the Amish variety, but the title of this book caught my eye, and who doesn't enjoy a book about mail-order brides?
Except these women didn't really know they were mail-order brides and refused to be so. So they band together in The-Middle-Of-Nowhere-Nebraska and start homesteading together. One of the women (and it's never really quite ex More...
Except these women didn't really know they were mail-order brides and refused to be so. So they band together in The-Middle-Of-Nowhere-Nebraska and start homesteading together. One of the women (and it's never really quite ex More...
Jun 03, 2010
Evelyn
rated it:
I was recently given the opportunity to read and review Sixteen Brides, by Stephanie Grace Whitson. A little about the book:
"When sixteen potential brides step off the train in Plum Grove, Nebraska, the town may never be the same again! A tale of courageous women who risk everything for the dream of owning land and finding love on the prairies of Nebraska."
This book was an easy read. Initially, there were so many different characters introduced at the beginning tha More...
"When sixteen potential brides step off the train in Plum Grove, Nebraska, the town may never be the same again! A tale of courageous women who risk everything for the dream of owning land and finding love on the prairies of Nebraska."
This book was an easy read. Initially, there were so many different characters introduced at the beginning tha More...
Jun 02, 2010
Cindy
rated it: 
Stephanie Grace Whitson
2010
Bethany House Publishers
Historical Fiction
Reviewed by Cindy Loven
It is 1872, the Civil War has ended. But for many widows life is now harder than ever. Seeing an advertisement about free land, available in Nebraska, sixteen women meet with the founder of the Ladies Emigration Society, in St. Louis and decide to head for Nebraska. Each woman has their own reason for joining the Societ More...
2010
Bethany House Publishers
Historical Fiction
Reviewed by Cindy Loven
It is 1872, the Civil War has ended. But for many widows life is now harder than ever. Seeing an advertisement about free land, available in Nebraska, sixteen women meet with the founder of the Ladies Emigration Society, in St. Louis and decide to head for Nebraska. Each woman has their own reason for joining the Societ More...
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May 15, 2010
Vanessa
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Sixteen Brides is a Historical Read and VERY Good~! I rate this book 5 Stars out of 5 Stars
I really enjoyed the whole story from start to finish I felt I was in 1870's when the 16 girls arrived to Plum Grove, and how their life changed when they got there. I felt like a widow too. These Lady's rink everything to start over and find a new love and own land... you have to read this book to find out what they find in Plum Grove. Also what I LOVE is each chapter starts of with a bible verse.
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I really enjoyed the whole story from start to finish I felt I was in 1870's when the 16 girls arrived to Plum Grove, and how their life changed when they got there. I felt like a widow too. These Lady's rink everything to start over and find a new love and own land... you have to read this book to find out what they find in Plum Grove. Also what I LOVE is each chapter starts of with a bible verse.
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May 13, 2010
Edna
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Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Stephanie Grace Whitson
A Patchwork Life
How old are you?
Old…….er. I was born in 1952 in East St. Louis, Illinois. I remember the Beatles when they were new, the Vietnam war, black and white television, St. Louis before the Gateway Arch, and listening to the St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series with players like Lou Brock, Orlando Cepeda and Tim McCarver.
Where are you from?
Southern Illinois More...
Aug 16, 2011
Ruthette
rated it:
I've lost track of how long it's been since my last foray into "inspirational" Christian historical fiction. My main complaints against the genre are that such books are generally not well-written, that the emotional elements are melodramatic and over-wrought, that the research is at best surface and at worst downright shoddy, and that the Christian elements are either overly didactic or practically nonexistent.
Mostly because this book was free for Kindle, I decided to give More...
Mostly because this book was free for Kindle, I decided to give More...
Apr 05, 2010
Molly
rated it:
One of my favorite kind of books! HISTORICAL! YAY! I absolutely loved this book! Although, I must say, in the beginning, keeping up with SIXTEEN women was rather overwhelming. But, by the end of the story, I wasn't quite so overwhelmed and was truly pleased with this after-war story.
Stephanie Grace Whitson has just became an author that I have add to my favorites list. She has true talent and researched enough to make this story feel real. I felt as though I was a war widow, steppin More...
Stephanie Grace Whitson has just became an author that I have add to my favorites list. She has true talent and researched enough to make this story feel real. I felt as though I was a war widow, steppin More...
Jun 24, 2010
Laura
rated it:
Title: SIXTEEN BRIDES
Author: Stephanie Grace Whitson
Publisher: Bethany House
April 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0513-2
Genre: Inspirational/historical
Sixteen women, widowed by the war, are enticed by the promises of free land in the Nebraska territory. All they have to do is live on the land for five years. Since they all have things they want to escape, they catch the train with the land agent, and go west. But then they discover that all is not as it seemed. The More...
Author: Stephanie Grace Whitson
Publisher: Bethany House
April 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0513-2
Genre: Inspirational/historical
Sixteen women, widowed by the war, are enticed by the promises of free land in the Nebraska territory. All they have to do is live on the land for five years. Since they all have things they want to escape, they catch the train with the land agent, and go west. But then they discover that all is not as it seemed. The More...
Aug 17, 2011
Lily
rated it:
I have to say right off the bat that I am more a paranormal reader, and I have to admit that I have mentally over digested so many of the same cliche books of the supers(supernatural world) that I thought I'd try some thing different, and oh how I loved this book, who wudda thought. lol
this book is basically about sixteen woman who get coined into going west and settling there for a homestead, but really where being married off. eight woman stay behind when they find out the truth and More...
this book is basically about sixteen woman who get coined into going west and settling there for a homestead, but really where being married off. eight woman stay behind when they find out the truth and More...
Nov 15, 2011
Bonnigene
rated it:
This book is a really fun Christian romance with interesting and heroic female characters.
There are 16 women tricked into a trip to Nebraska with the promise of their own land to homestead. However, when they get to the town just before their destination they all find out that the plan is not for them to have a homestead, but to marry the men they will soon meet. They are not only promised as wives to the lucky man who can charm them, but their dances are sold to the men of the to More...
There are 16 women tricked into a trip to Nebraska with the promise of their own land to homestead. However, when they get to the town just before their destination they all find out that the plan is not for them to have a homestead, but to marry the men they will soon meet. They are not only promised as wives to the lucky man who can charm them, but their dances are sold to the men of the to More...
Apr 13, 2010
Valerie
rated it:
After the Civil War hundreds of single women successfully homesteaded in the west. I never knew. Thanks to Stephanie Grace Whitson's new historical novel I know something new.
In this charming book we go west with sixteen single women to claim their new land. What they didn't count on was that the "Emmigration Society" was actually a deceitful cover to get the ladies to Nebraska to become brides.
Once the cover is blown, more than half of the ladies move on to wh More...
In this charming book we go west with sixteen single women to claim their new land. What they didn't count on was that the "Emmigration Society" was actually a deceitful cover to get the ladies to Nebraska to become brides.
Once the cover is blown, more than half of the ladies move on to wh More...
Jun 11, 2010
Wendi
rated it:
Sixteen Brides
By Stephanie Grace Whitson
Published by Bethany House
When sixteen unsuspecting widows set off with hopes of acquiring free land in Nebraska and a fresh new beginning, they never would have guessed they were actually being trumpeted as ready brides. After catching wind of their “guides” devious plans, half the women decide to jump train and setup their own homestead in the small town of Plum
Grove without the need of any men thank you very much!
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By Stephanie Grace Whitson
Published by Bethany House
When sixteen unsuspecting widows set off with hopes of acquiring free land in Nebraska and a fresh new beginning, they never would have guessed they were actually being trumpeted as ready brides. After catching wind of their “guides” devious plans, half the women decide to jump train and setup their own homestead in the small town of Plum
Grove without the need of any men thank you very much!
More...
May 17, 2010
Mandy
rated it:
MY REVIEW:
Stephanie Grace Whitson makes you feel like you are back in the year of 1871 with this post civil war novel. The book takes you for a ride with 16 women who are moving west for various reasons only to find out that the men out west may have other plans for them.
At first I found this book to be very confusing hard to follow with the immediate introduction of 16 women plus other main characters. However, for various reasons the story soon slows down with only 6 More...
Stephanie Grace Whitson makes you feel like you are back in the year of 1871 with this post civil war novel. The book takes you for a ride with 16 women who are moving west for various reasons only to find out that the men out west may have other plans for them.
At first I found this book to be very confusing hard to follow with the immediate introduction of 16 women plus other main characters. However, for various reasons the story soon slows down with only 6 More...
Mar 19, 2010
Susan
rated it:
An incredible heart warming story of romance and faith in God. Before each chapter there is a Bible verse that sets the stone for what you are about to read. The five women's stories are intricately woven. You really get to know each one and come to love each of the characters instead of them getting lost in little tid bits here and there. These women are brought together under unusual circumstances that shows God works in mysterious ways. Despite the differences in these women's characters the
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Aug 25, 2010
Megan
rated it:
This book starts in St. Louis, with 16 women boarding a train headed west. They had been promised free land by a deceitful Hamilton Drake, who plans to make money on marrying them off. When the women realize his plan half of them decide not to finish the trip with him and settle in Plum Grove. The majority of Sixteen Brides is set in Plum Grove, a relatively new and growing settlement. The story follows a handful of the women as they settle into this new territory, try new things and make new fr
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May 24, 2010
Clockstein
rated it:
Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson is a frothy and faithful Western romance. Sixteen women in Missouri in 1871 jump at the chance to claim some land in their own name on the Nebraska frontier. Each one is looking for a fresh start, but that is put into jeopardy when they discover that the man who organized the trip was really setting them up as mail order brides. Several of the women rebel and stay in the small town of Plum Grove, Nebraska to claim their own homestead. Sally, the fiery re
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Sep 29, 2011
Julie
rated it:
With the promise of land that can be settled, Sixteen women head to Nebraska to start new lives. Once they arrive though they overhear what has really been schemed for them. They have been promised as brides to the men of Cayote. Half of the women decide that they will go no further than Plum Grove.
Five of the women decide to team up and homestead together. They are overwhelmed with the generosity of their neighbors in the community. Each one has a personal reason for starting over. So More...
Five of the women decide to team up and homestead together. They are overwhelmed with the generosity of their neighbors in the community. Each one has a personal reason for starting over. So More...
Apr 14, 2010
A J
rated it:
It is 1872 and sixteen women are lured to Nebraska with the promise of free land, independence, and an opportunity to start over after the devastating loss of their husbands. What they find when they arrive in Plum Grove, Nebraska is a story of hope, new beginnings, forgiveness, and love.
I found the book easy to read but hard to put down, as chores and meals were pushed aside to follow the stories of these brides to the end of the book.
Stephanie Grace Whitson’s excellent More...
I found the book easy to read but hard to put down, as chores and meals were pushed aside to follow the stories of these brides to the end of the book.
Stephanie Grace Whitson’s excellent More...
Aug 23, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
I was trolling around on the amazon kindle site for free stuff, because, you know, that's how I roll. Anywho, found this book, with amazing reviews and figgered 'what do I have to lose?'. Great book, get it, read it, good for ladies mostly. It reads like real feminist fantasy literature..not like Zena, but a life where women come together despite hard times and make their life work according to their own terms. And the people around them see that by their deeds and their work that they are worth
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Jun 21, 2010
Kristina
rated it:
The idea that a group of women is sent across country and promised as brides sounds like something out of a horror movie, but the truth is, situations just like this were occurring less than 150 years ago. Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson is based on such a premise. Sixteen widows were sent across the prairie with the promise of free land, but when they arrive in Plum Grove, Nebraska, they are faced with a situation that is much different than what they were told. Sixteen brides chro
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Apr 30, 2011
Dani
rated it:
The fact that I read this book in its entirety (300-odd pages) in a single day is a testament to how engaging it is. At first I thought that I would have trouble keeping up with all the characters, but the author does a good job of quickly winnowing down the list to a manageable number and I had no problem remembering who was who.
Although this book was published by Bethany House, it was a bit more earthy that other Christian romances I've read. Don't get me wrong -- it doesn't cross More...
Although this book was published by Bethany House, it was a bit more earthy that other Christian romances I've read. Don't get me wrong -- it doesn't cross More...
Jan 16, 2012
Jae
rated it:
Nice little story. The author takes her time developing the characters and the relationships. There are spaces of time that elapse in the story to make the growth and the transitions more believable. The characters are likable and relatible. My only criticisms in this area relate to the fact that I don't believe the author spent as much time developing the relationship for Ella as she did with Ruth and Caroline. Only the connection between Ella an her hero seemed to be uneven and not well expla
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Jun 08, 2010
Amydeanne
rated it:
The wild west!
The new frontier!
Women owning their own land in the late 1800's!
Sixteen Brides is a historical romance that covers a wild adventure of sixteen women marking new territory! Little did they know they really were being brought under false pretenses, to accept marriage proposals from the men in the community.
Will they marry? Or will they find other means to survive?
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The new frontier!
Women owning their own land in the late 1800's!
Sixteen Brides is a historical romance that covers a wild adventure of sixteen women marking new territory! Little did they know they really were being brought under false pretenses, to accept marriage proposals from the men in the community.
Will they marry? Or will they find other means to survive?
-----------------------------------------------------
More...
Jul 03, 2010
Sam
rated it:
it was a fun book, a quick read, and had good characters. it was historical fiction, but i think it could also be kind of "chick lit". it was a very "romantic" version of the old west.
in any event, i liked it. lately i have been looking for "fun" reads that have good story and plot but don't make me think too hard- and this was perfect for that. (sorry, but lots of stress right now, and i don't want to have to think any more then i have to at the moment More...
in any event, i liked it. lately i have been looking for "fun" reads that have good story and plot but don't make me think too hard- and this was perfect for that. (sorry, but lots of stress right now, and i don't want to have to think any more then i have to at the moment More...
Jun 07, 2010
Trish
rated it:
Sixteen women from various walks of life all have one thing in common, they want start new lives and believe that their only option is to join the Ladies Emigration Society, move to Nebraska and claim land in their own names. Unfortunately, when they arrive in Plum Grove, Nebraska, circumstances are not quite what they had expected and they discover they were mislead.
Some of the women decide to continue on to the original destination of Cayote and others stay in Plum Grove, in hopes More...
Some of the women decide to continue on to the original destination of Cayote and others stay in Plum Grove, in hopes More...
Aug 08, 2011
Denise
rated it:
It took me a while to warm up to this book - Amazon reviewers complain about too many characters, and maybe that was some of it. I also think that this is a style of book that you have to become accustomed to; I hadn't read any straight period romances pieces in a while and it took me a bit to get back into that groove. But once I was there, I did enjoy this book very much. Although the number of romances meant each of them got a light touch, it felt appropriate because this book was more abo
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