What do you think?
Rate this book
Joe's Wife
After Meg Telford's husband dies in the war and is lauded as a hero, she must face the fact that she can't keep the ranch without a man to shoulder the workload. Nothing will stop her from saving Joe's dream. The war has taken nearly all the able-bodied men--and a devilishly handsome bad boy seems her only choice.
Town pariah, Tye Hatcher has a reputation as a hell-raiser, but he's looking to prove himself and has his own plans for the land. Meg's proposal might be too good to be true, but he's willing to take the risk, even if the risk is his heart. Struggling with guilt and the rejection of the townspeople, Meg must learn that her convenient husband is a man who takes risks and does what's right for the sake of others.
Her vulnerable dreams and their hard work will be for naught unless she and Tye reveal their secrets and face what they're both coming to understand--they can't change the past, but the future is in their hands
Town pariah, Tye Hatcher has a reputation as a hell-raiser, but he's looking to prove himself and has his own plans for the land. Meg's proposal might be too good to be true, but he's willing to take the risk, even if the risk is his heart. Struggling with guilt and the rejection of the townspeople, Meg must learn that her convenient husband is a man who takes risks and does what's right for the sake of others.
Her vulnerable dreams and their hard work will be for naught unless she and Tye reveal their secrets and face what they're both coming to understand--they can't change the past, but the future is in their hands
299 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1999
43 people are currently reading
551 people want to read
About the author
Cheryl St. John
71 books552 followersCheryl is the author of more than fifty historical and contemporary romances. Her stories have earned numerous RITA nominations, Romantic Times awards and are published in over a dozen languages.
In describing her stories of second chances and redemption, readers and reviewers use words like, “emotional punch, hometown feel, core values, believable characters and real-life situations.”
With a 4.9 star rating on amazon, her bestselling non-fiction book, Writing With Emotion, Tension & Conflict by Writers Digest Books is available in print and digital.
In describing her stories of second chances and redemption, readers and reviewers use words like, “emotional punch, hometown feel, core values, believable characters and real-life situations.”
With a 4.9 star rating on amazon, her bestselling non-fiction book, Writing With Emotion, Tension & Conflict by Writers Digest Books is available in print and digital.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
avoid
November 9, 2018I was irked by the fact it was his way or highway.
And he got his way.
he was jealous of her dead husband even though she was clear and open while he was dishonest.
She was forced to (he wasn’t very tactful about the whole thing, let’s be honest) give up her ex husband’s memory to please him but he get to keep his ex’s memories in form of a kid?
How about since they have a baby he can call his OWN NOT joe’s he also give up his ex’s kid? (I know this sounds harsh, but let’s call a spade by its name. They’re both memories. His is even more damagingly so. Because it’s a constant reminder. On top of which he demands her involvement in that kid’s life, imposes the kid in her life, yet not ready to share the kid? Let’s face it people, just because we are female we are not bound to love our husband’s ex’s child, illegitimate or otherwise just because we love our husbands! It IS mutually exclusive. A man is NOBLE IF he decides to love OM’s child but never berated if they don’t, yet it’s mandatory for a woman to love and care for their stepchildren? Why is our love taken for granted? Why is it also NOT ok if we don’t feel motherly towards someone else’s kid? Motherly instinct is a myth endorsed by patriarchy to have women take care of the numerous stepchildren that is generated by their male counterparts throughout history, or during matriarchal society when once again women did anything and men did the hunting and then was too tired to do anything else!)
Why would his wife have to live with his ex’s memory when he simply won’t stand even an implication EVEN when it was a MOC?
He gets everything, his kid, Joe’s property and the h.
Heroine gets him, a not so virtuous and thoroughly dishonest and inconsiderate human being.
On top of that she’s ONLY like a live on nanny for the kid. She doesn’t even have a say in her life.
As she rightfully pointed out, SHE gets the responsibility of raising the girl, HE gets the love.
NOT. HAPPY. JAN.
People who had issues with heroine, she LOVED her husband NOT the hero.
She needs time to adjust in her MOC which she was open and honest about.
Hero is the most indecent, dishonest, disrespectful and insensitive person possible. He AGREED to an MOC and wanted his cake and eat it too.
It was all abt him.
He was also a narcissist.
Since he loved the heroine like FOREVER and ALWAYS, may be the kid shouldn’t have existed to begin with?
And he got his way.
he was jealous of her dead husband even though she was clear and open while he was dishonest.
She was forced to (he wasn’t very tactful about the whole thing, let’s be honest) give up her ex husband’s memory to please him but he get to keep his ex’s memories in form of a kid?
How about since they have a baby he can call his OWN NOT joe’s he also give up his ex’s kid? (I know this sounds harsh, but let’s call a spade by its name. They’re both memories. His is even more damagingly so. Because it’s a constant reminder. On top of which he demands her involvement in that kid’s life, imposes the kid in her life, yet not ready to share the kid? Let’s face it people, just because we are female we are not bound to love our husband’s ex’s child, illegitimate or otherwise just because we love our husbands! It IS mutually exclusive. A man is NOBLE IF he decides to love OM’s child but never berated if they don’t, yet it’s mandatory for a woman to love and care for their stepchildren? Why is our love taken for granted? Why is it also NOT ok if we don’t feel motherly towards someone else’s kid? Motherly instinct is a myth endorsed by patriarchy to have women take care of the numerous stepchildren that is generated by their male counterparts throughout history, or during matriarchal society when once again women did anything and men did the hunting and then was too tired to do anything else!)
Why would his wife have to live with his ex’s memory when he simply won’t stand even an implication EVEN when it was a MOC?
He gets everything, his kid, Joe’s property and the h.
Heroine gets him, a not so virtuous and thoroughly dishonest and inconsiderate human being.
On top of that she’s ONLY like a live on nanny for the kid. She doesn’t even have a say in her life.
As she rightfully pointed out, SHE gets the responsibility of raising the girl, HE gets the love.
NOT. HAPPY. JAN.
People who had issues with heroine, she LOVED her husband NOT the hero.
She needs time to adjust in her MOC which she was open and honest about.
Hero is the most indecent, dishonest, disrespectful and insensitive person possible. He AGREED to an MOC and wanted his cake and eat it too.
It was all abt him.
He was also a narcissist.
Since he loved the heroine like FOREVER and ALWAYS, may be the kid shouldn’t have existed to begin with?
May 2, 2019
This book starts out very strong - a widowed h desperate to save her ranch (her dead husband's dream- now hers too) proposes marriage to the only able bodied man left standing in this Southern town, after the war wipes out most men of marriageable age. He also happens to be the town outcast/pariah - illegitimate with a shady past, while her former in-laws belong to one of the premier families of the area.
So, of course the opposition and resultant shunning of the couple is a foregone.
They make a sweet couple for all that - trying their best to make things easier and comfortable for each other. But the shadow of the dead husband is always between them - and I felt more so in the H's mind. Of course, it's an moc and she was quite open and upfront about everything while he was not. He hid the fact that he had promised a former lover/saloon girl (now dying) to take care of her little daughter.
I thought his jealousy to be petty and hurtful. They have been together just few weeks/months - how can he expect her to understand his (secret) feelings (because now he realises that he'd alwaaays loved her!) or even forget her dead husband and get rid of all his things/keepsakes pronto-ish. And then all but rubs her nose in the closeness he engenders with the little girl, making the h feel left-out. Some fellow reviewers have found fault with the h but personally I could not like this guy, especially towards the end, when he'd deliberately say hurtful and hateful things and then walk away, leaving her bewildered and distressed, never apologising.
I so loved another H by this author (from His Secondhand Wife ) but this one didn't do much for me.
So, of course the opposition and resultant shunning of the couple is a foregone.
They make a sweet couple for all that - trying their best to make things easier and comfortable for each other. But the shadow of the dead husband is always between them - and I felt more so in the H's mind. Of course, it's an moc and she was quite open and upfront about everything while he was not. He hid the fact that he had promised a former lover/saloon girl (now dying) to take care of her little daughter.
I thought his jealousy to be petty and hurtful. They have been together just few weeks/months - how can he expect her to understand his (secret) feelings (because now he realises that he'd alwaaays loved her!) or even forget her dead husband and get rid of all his things/keepsakes pronto-ish. And then all but rubs her nose in the closeness he engenders with the little girl, making the h feel left-out. Some fellow reviewers have found fault with the h but personally I could not like this guy, especially towards the end, when he'd deliberately say hurtful and hateful things and then walk away, leaving her bewildered and distressed, never apologising.
I so loved another H by this author (from His Secondhand Wife ) but this one didn't do much for me.
February 26, 2025
Feb ‘25 Reread
I just love Tye and Meg so much.
Original read Oct ‘24
Not me witholding this because I didn’t want to pay money to get it (damn you KU for not having Cheryl St. John’s work) only to spend it a few months later because I couldn’t not read it 🥹
But it was so worth it! They were so dear, it was a raw story and it felt so real and beautiful. I’m in love with them.
I just love Tye and Meg so much.
Original read Oct ‘24
Not me witholding this because I didn’t want to pay money to get it (damn you KU for not having Cheryl St. John’s work) only to spend it a few months later because I couldn’t not read it 🥹
But it was so worth it! They were so dear, it was a raw story and it felt so real and beautiful. I’m in love with them.
September 7, 2011
The blurb caught my eye, so I got myself this book.
When I started reading it, I was captivated by the character of Ty and I wanted to be Meg.
When I finished it I knew that this book was written very well - it had a sold plot, well developed characters and it broke and mended my heart in just the right places.
For that it deserves 5 five full stars.
But I am a woman. And I alined myself with Meg, not with Ty.
Because of that I loved the way he loved her. I bathed in his unrequited love for her. I was giddy form happiness because he loved her all her life and she did not even know! I saw it all from a woman's point of view. Or even more correctly I saw it from within Meg. Because of this, I as well as Meg, hurt with the fact that Evie was Ty-s child.
But on the other hand I applauded the author for being so realistic! For making the heroine like Evie but not be crazy over the fact that the man she loves has a kid. And let us be truthful here, historical and contemporary heroines alike go all ga-ga over the fact that some kid has the dna of the man they love. When, would this be true in the real world? What sane woman would not feel a bit threatened by the fact that she has to share love with a person that is not her own? The author showed Evie and Ty's developing bond and the fact that Meg had no place there with brutal precision. Also realistic was the new view of things that told us how Lottie was not a bad mother. Because of that Evie did not just fall headlong in to Megs arms telling her she loves her. She had a mother. And she did not want to cal Meg mom.
She had a mother, and then she had a father…Ty.
Well.
First of all, let me state, that even if this was realistic, it bothered me for a lot of reasons.
First, will I ever encounter a heroine that has a bastard? Even the heroines that have children (while the hero has none) are so very very rare! So, why did I read about two heroes that magically acquire a kid trough the book just today? Two heroes in to different books!
Secondly, there was not real point to Evie. She could have just stayed Lottie's child. The Ty part of her was forced. Very very forced.
And thirdly the forced comment I have to expand- The author made me shake my head at this. She makes the situations so real I was anguished and happy for my characters 100%. But then she tells me in no uncertain terms that Ty has a kid. And that Lottie knew it was his.
Let us go back a bit.
Lottie was a whore.
She worked in a saloon for a lot of years.
She never got pregnant during those years.
She was not exclusive when she was with Ty.
Then she got pregnant before he went to war.
I would say intentionally but she never contacted him, and she did not ask him to marry her.
Or did she?
Shouldn't I have had a bit more info here?
Because it is plain strange that a young whore kept a baby when a war started.
It was strange enough that she got pregnant. But seeing how she did…realistic would have been if she got rid of it.
And then she knew it was Tys.
Did she know it was his before it was born?
Nah. She was not exclusive.
So, after it was born?
Yeeeee-gooods. He is one lucky son of a gun, eh? It was a regular lottery and he was picked out to be the father!
Plus, let us remembered that Ty was a bastard. He suffered horribly because of it. I just can not see this kind of man not being careful about...well...having bastards.
See?
For all the realism in this story there was this big loop hole that just stood there staring at me.
How did it ever turn out to be his kid?
How?
And why in Gods name did she make Ty take her but not tell him she was his kid?
What was the point in THAT?
Eh.
Stress.
Because this brought me right back to why? Why did the author even make her his? It would have been equally enjoyable but less… of a mess. And unproblematic.
Maybe if Meg and Joe had a child? No, it could not have been done because of Ty's resentment to all that was Joe's.
Again I have to say-What a mess!
Because of this kind of tension I could not really feel satisfaction in the end. Plus…Meg asked Ty if his excitement for their kid was dimmed because he already had Evie. And he told her -Nah, because he did not love Evie's mother- That with the fact that he was -Thrilled that Evie was his because now he had something of his in this world- brought me to a disturbing conclusion:
That Evie was a character that was not needed for the plot! Completely unnecessary!
Erm…no. Not that. even thou it is true-she was a bit of an extra
But it brought me to the conclusion such as this: Ty liked Evie as a symbol. A symbol of not being alone. He could have had a puppy instead. Really. and she fell in to the range of puppies because he did not love her mother. So his happiness about a new baby toppes his happiness about being her father.
Yes, yes. I know I am dramatizing. I know it was never meant to sound this way. But it did And that shows the stiffness of the whole plot device of a new generation of bastard children. It just did not work.
This sad fact makes me bump my 5 star rating to the standard 3 stars that mostly mean/ 'been there done that and I will forget it in 5 days'.
So, should other people read this book? Sure. But do not hold your breath for something special. It had the potential but never lived up to it.
I wish the author just plucked Evie out of Meg and Ty-s story and put it in another one. A story where her father was known from the beginning but her interactions with the person her father married the same. That would have been a book I would have read gladly.
When I started reading it, I was captivated by the character of Ty and I wanted to be Meg.
When I finished it I knew that this book was written very well - it had a sold plot, well developed characters and it broke and mended my heart in just the right places.
For that it deserves 5 five full stars.
But I am a woman. And I alined myself with Meg, not with Ty.
Because of that I loved the way he loved her. I bathed in his unrequited love for her. I was giddy form happiness because he loved her all her life and she did not even know! I saw it all from a woman's point of view. Or even more correctly I saw it from within Meg. Because of this, I as well as Meg, hurt with the fact that Evie was Ty-s child.
But on the other hand I applauded the author for being so realistic! For making the heroine like Evie but not be crazy over the fact that the man she loves has a kid. And let us be truthful here, historical and contemporary heroines alike go all ga-ga over the fact that some kid has the dna of the man they love. When, would this be true in the real world? What sane woman would not feel a bit threatened by the fact that she has to share love with a person that is not her own? The author showed Evie and Ty's developing bond and the fact that Meg had no place there with brutal precision. Also realistic was the new view of things that told us how Lottie was not a bad mother. Because of that Evie did not just fall headlong in to Megs arms telling her she loves her. She had a mother. And she did not want to cal Meg mom.
She had a mother, and then she had a father…Ty.
Well.
First of all, let me state, that even if this was realistic, it bothered me for a lot of reasons.
First, will I ever encounter a heroine that has a bastard? Even the heroines that have children (while the hero has none) are so very very rare! So, why did I read about two heroes that magically acquire a kid trough the book just today? Two heroes in to different books!
Secondly, there was not real point to Evie. She could have just stayed Lottie's child. The Ty part of her was forced. Very very forced.
And thirdly the forced comment I have to expand- The author made me shake my head at this. She makes the situations so real I was anguished and happy for my characters 100%. But then she tells me in no uncertain terms that Ty has a kid. And that Lottie knew it was his.
Let us go back a bit.
Lottie was a whore.
She worked in a saloon for a lot of years.
She never got pregnant during those years.
She was not exclusive when she was with Ty.
Then she got pregnant before he went to war.
I would say intentionally but she never contacted him, and she did not ask him to marry her.
Or did she?
Shouldn't I have had a bit more info here?
Because it is plain strange that a young whore kept a baby when a war started.
It was strange enough that she got pregnant. But seeing how she did…realistic would have been if she got rid of it.
And then she knew it was Tys.
Did she know it was his before it was born?
Nah. She was not exclusive.
So, after it was born?
Yeeeee-gooods. He is one lucky son of a gun, eh? It was a regular lottery and he was picked out to be the father!
Plus, let us remembered that Ty was a bastard. He suffered horribly because of it. I just can not see this kind of man not being careful about...well...having bastards.
See?
For all the realism in this story there was this big loop hole that just stood there staring at me.
How did it ever turn out to be his kid?
How?
And why in Gods name did she make Ty take her but not tell him she was his kid?
What was the point in THAT?
Eh.
Stress.
Because this brought me right back to why? Why did the author even make her his? It would have been equally enjoyable but less… of a mess. And unproblematic.
Maybe if Meg and Joe had a child? No, it could not have been done because of Ty's resentment to all that was Joe's.
Again I have to say-What a mess!
Because of this kind of tension I could not really feel satisfaction in the end. Plus…Meg asked Ty if his excitement for their kid was dimmed because he already had Evie. And he told her -Nah, because he did not love Evie's mother- That with the fact that he was -Thrilled that Evie was his because now he had something of his in this world- brought me to a disturbing conclusion:
That Evie was a character that was not needed for the plot! Completely unnecessary!
Erm…no. Not that. even thou it is true-she was a bit of an extra
But it brought me to the conclusion such as this: Ty liked Evie as a symbol. A symbol of not being alone. He could have had a puppy instead. Really. and she fell in to the range of puppies because he did not love her mother. So his happiness about a new baby toppes his happiness about being her father.
Yes, yes. I know I am dramatizing. I know it was never meant to sound this way. But it did And that shows the stiffness of the whole plot device of a new generation of bastard children. It just did not work.
This sad fact makes me bump my 5 star rating to the standard 3 stars that mostly mean/ 'been there done that and I will forget it in 5 days'.
So, should other people read this book? Sure. But do not hold your breath for something special. It had the potential but never lived up to it.
I wish the author just plucked Evie out of Meg and Ty-s story and put it in another one. A story where her father was known from the beginning but her interactions with the person her father married the same. That would have been a book I would have read gladly.
May 13, 2010
This is my favorite so far from this author. I thought that both of the main characters were very well written with believable motivations. Tye is a lovely man one of the sort that most women would like to have. Meg was very well done also. She was aware of her limitations which was realistic for the times. I don't like books where the heroine is too modern in her thinking/acting when the book is an historical. There were a couple of times that something anachronistic crept in but they were minor. Not a lot of description to set the place firmly in my mind but it was so much a relationship story that lack of detail didn't bother me much. A really satisfying read.
August 30, 2011
The cover ~ I think it's sweet. It's certainly dated - it is 10 years old. But it's a fairly accurate portrayal of the hero and heroine. And the back has a picture of the hero, heroine with a little girl at a picnic - cute.
I had heard about this book around the blogs, mostly KristieJ's, and while I have a number of Cheryl St. John's books on my TBR pile there was just something about Joe's Wife that said "read me first". Maybe it's the title. You know from the synopsis that Joe isn't the hero but Meg is still referred to as "Joe's wife". Even Tye thinks of her that way. It's barely been a year since Meg received word that her husband Joe was killed in battle so she's still grieving and attempting to move on with her life.
Meg Telford at first comes across as a soft spoken, kind and gentle woman. And she is all that but she is also much more. Her kind and gentle nature hides a backbone of steel. She is still quite young and has every intention of keeping the ranch that her and her late husband Joe bought. The ranch was Joe's dream and Meg is determined to run it even at the opposition of her in laws. Her mother-in-law wants Meg to move in with her at her home in town. Meg sees this option as giving up and she sees her life as being very restricted and bleak if she were to move in with her mother-in-law.
I liked Meg but she was easy to like. She had a practical nature and wasn't afraid of hard work, in fact she seemed to enjoy it. She was much more at home on the ranch than in town at her mother-in-laws doing needlepoint or some other such "lady-like" pursuit. She was kind and not as condemning as the majority of the townsfolk were when it came to Tye. The other thing I liked about Meg is that she stayed true to her character. At the beginning she was still in love with Joe, still missing him terribly. Throughout the book she still thinks of Joe, will always love him, but she begins to understand that she doesn't have to stop loving Joe in order for her to fall in love with someone else. That she can still honor Joe's memory but move on with her life.
Tye Hatcher was the bastard son of one of the town's whores. He grew up around other whores and was shunned by the town because of his parentage. Growing up he understands why he's treated differently than the other kids and tends to keep to himself. When the war is over he returns to Aspen Grove, determined to prove to the townsfolk that he is worth something.
I couldn't help but feel sorry for Tye. Here's a guy that just wants a break. He's more than willing to work hard and do any job that's available. What he really wants to do is own his own ranch. His dream is to have a place that's his, one that he can work and make into something. He also has ideas on how to improve ranching in the area. He has big dreams but with the town against giving him a chance his dreams look like they'll stay only dreams. Then Meg makes Tye an offer he can't refuse and it looks like his dreams might just be within reach. But someone from Tye's past needs him and he finds that he can't refuse them either. So he does the right thing, the only thing that he can. He takes in a little girl who has no one left.
That little girl was Eve and she was a delight. Didn't get on my nerves at all. LOL Sometimes kids in romance novels or any story for that matter, can get on my nerves. But Eve became another piece of the puzzle and added another dimension to Tye. Eve and Tye had far more in common that anyone could have guessed. They were the misfits, outsiders who so desperately wanted to fit in. Meg was their champion in a way - she stood up for them. She showed them kindness and treated them with respect. She wasn't exactly crazy about Eve showing up but she dealt with it and didn't take it out on Eve. That's not to say Meg was perfect, she certainly had her faults. While she may have treated Tye better than everyone else did she still had her doubts about him.
One of the aspects of the story that I really liked was the lack of real external conflict. Sure, we had Meg's in-laws trying to get her to sell the ranch and the narrow minded townsfolk that would go to church and at the same time gossip and shun Meg and Tye but there wasn't any real bad guy. No railroad tycoon hiring outlaws to run Meg off her ranch. No gangs of vicious cattle thieves to deal with. It was just Meg and Tye and Eve getting to know each other and learning to trust each other. It was three heartsick people slowing becoming a family. Loved reading about these three and all the ins and outs of their lives.
Don't get me wrong, this wasn't all rainbows and roses. There was still Joe to deal with. He may have been dead and buried but he was still very much there on that ranch. It was Joe's ranch and Joe's dream and for all of Tye's hard work, Meg still wanted to hang on to Joe's dream. Trying to over come not only an ex but a dead ex is extremely difficult for the new guy. Then there's the fact that Tye was only there because Meg had no other options, there was no one else to help her. So Tye had a ghost to deal with plus his own horrors of war that he had to live with. Tye had also seen battle and been injured but he had lived to come home. Then he gets a child to raise and a new wife who's still in love with her dead husband. Yep, lots of conflict here. And yet I never once felt that St. John rushed the story, that I was reading what should have been a longer book. I had actually forgotten that this book came in at just under 300 pages. It felt full - full of characters and plot and story. The dialogue was crisp and gave such depth to these characters. Yes, I was indeed a happy reader at the end. And I haven't even mentioned Major, the dog, who I adored.
I had heard about this book around the blogs, mostly KristieJ's, and while I have a number of Cheryl St. John's books on my TBR pile there was just something about Joe's Wife that said "read me first". Maybe it's the title. You know from the synopsis that Joe isn't the hero but Meg is still referred to as "Joe's wife". Even Tye thinks of her that way. It's barely been a year since Meg received word that her husband Joe was killed in battle so she's still grieving and attempting to move on with her life.
Meg Telford at first comes across as a soft spoken, kind and gentle woman. And she is all that but she is also much more. Her kind and gentle nature hides a backbone of steel. She is still quite young and has every intention of keeping the ranch that her and her late husband Joe bought. The ranch was Joe's dream and Meg is determined to run it even at the opposition of her in laws. Her mother-in-law wants Meg to move in with her at her home in town. Meg sees this option as giving up and she sees her life as being very restricted and bleak if she were to move in with her mother-in-law.
I liked Meg but she was easy to like. She had a practical nature and wasn't afraid of hard work, in fact she seemed to enjoy it. She was much more at home on the ranch than in town at her mother-in-laws doing needlepoint or some other such "lady-like" pursuit. She was kind and not as condemning as the majority of the townsfolk were when it came to Tye. The other thing I liked about Meg is that she stayed true to her character. At the beginning she was still in love with Joe, still missing him terribly. Throughout the book she still thinks of Joe, will always love him, but she begins to understand that she doesn't have to stop loving Joe in order for her to fall in love with someone else. That she can still honor Joe's memory but move on with her life.
Tye Hatcher was the bastard son of one of the town's whores. He grew up around other whores and was shunned by the town because of his parentage. Growing up he understands why he's treated differently than the other kids and tends to keep to himself. When the war is over he returns to Aspen Grove, determined to prove to the townsfolk that he is worth something.
I couldn't help but feel sorry for Tye. Here's a guy that just wants a break. He's more than willing to work hard and do any job that's available. What he really wants to do is own his own ranch. His dream is to have a place that's his, one that he can work and make into something. He also has ideas on how to improve ranching in the area. He has big dreams but with the town against giving him a chance his dreams look like they'll stay only dreams. Then Meg makes Tye an offer he can't refuse and it looks like his dreams might just be within reach. But someone from Tye's past needs him and he finds that he can't refuse them either. So he does the right thing, the only thing that he can. He takes in a little girl who has no one left.
That little girl was Eve and she was a delight. Didn't get on my nerves at all. LOL Sometimes kids in romance novels or any story for that matter, can get on my nerves. But Eve became another piece of the puzzle and added another dimension to Tye. Eve and Tye had far more in common that anyone could have guessed. They were the misfits, outsiders who so desperately wanted to fit in. Meg was their champion in a way - she stood up for them. She showed them kindness and treated them with respect. She wasn't exactly crazy about Eve showing up but she dealt with it and didn't take it out on Eve. That's not to say Meg was perfect, she certainly had her faults. While she may have treated Tye better than everyone else did she still had her doubts about him.
One of the aspects of the story that I really liked was the lack of real external conflict. Sure, we had Meg's in-laws trying to get her to sell the ranch and the narrow minded townsfolk that would go to church and at the same time gossip and shun Meg and Tye but there wasn't any real bad guy. No railroad tycoon hiring outlaws to run Meg off her ranch. No gangs of vicious cattle thieves to deal with. It was just Meg and Tye and Eve getting to know each other and learning to trust each other. It was three heartsick people slowing becoming a family. Loved reading about these three and all the ins and outs of their lives.
Don't get me wrong, this wasn't all rainbows and roses. There was still Joe to deal with. He may have been dead and buried but he was still very much there on that ranch. It was Joe's ranch and Joe's dream and for all of Tye's hard work, Meg still wanted to hang on to Joe's dream. Trying to over come not only an ex but a dead ex is extremely difficult for the new guy. Then there's the fact that Tye was only there because Meg had no other options, there was no one else to help her. So Tye had a ghost to deal with plus his own horrors of war that he had to live with. Tye had also seen battle and been injured but he had lived to come home. Then he gets a child to raise and a new wife who's still in love with her dead husband. Yep, lots of conflict here. And yet I never once felt that St. John rushed the story, that I was reading what should have been a longer book. I had actually forgotten that this book came in at just under 300 pages. It felt full - full of characters and plot and story. The dialogue was crisp and gave such depth to these characters. Yes, I was indeed a happy reader at the end. And I haven't even mentioned Major, the dog, who I adored.
February 1, 2022
What a lovely book!
I can understand some of the negative reviews on this one, but I can assure you, the author did an amazing and realistic job of dealing with grief and letting go.
There was a real conflict here: two MCs learning to live with a ghost in the house. The ghost was the deceased husband of our heroine. His presence is felt throughout the entire book- and that is hard to read about in a historical romance book. I tend to want the focus to be entirely on the MCs and not have the shadow of lovers past hanging on. I almost did not read this for that very reason.
The combination of our hero’s insecurities with his need to prove himself was the setup for the conflict and discord between the new marriage of convenience. It was cringy most of the time, but the moment of relief came when our heroine realized she wasn’t being disloyal to her deceased husband by loving her new one. So much pressure built up in this book that in that moment of realization, I felt the relief- like releasing a big breath I had been holding in.
It was a sweet book that is probably very relatable to anyone who has suffered the loss of a partner.
I can understand some of the negative reviews on this one, but I can assure you, the author did an amazing and realistic job of dealing with grief and letting go.
There was a real conflict here: two MCs learning to live with a ghost in the house. The ghost was the deceased husband of our heroine. His presence is felt throughout the entire book- and that is hard to read about in a historical romance book. I tend to want the focus to be entirely on the MCs and not have the shadow of lovers past hanging on. I almost did not read this for that very reason.
The combination of our hero’s insecurities with his need to prove himself was the setup for the conflict and discord between the new marriage of convenience. It was cringy most of the time, but the moment of relief came when our heroine realized she wasn’t being disloyal to her deceased husband by loving her new one. So much pressure built up in this book that in that moment of realization, I felt the relief- like releasing a big breath I had been holding in.
It was a sweet book that is probably very relatable to anyone who has suffered the loss of a partner.
July 7, 2011
Joe's Wife is not the first book I've read by Cheryl St John. It is an earlier one so I was interested in seeing her writing at an earlier stage. And before she started writing for the inspirational market. Actually this book is an inspirational. God is very present in the lives of the characters. And I loved the heroine Meg who stood up to the holier-than-thou crew at the local church. This is a classic marriage of convenience story but written with tender feeling and deep emotion. A very believable story of two people trying to work out a marriage. There are love scenes included but they aren't love scenes meant to titillate but to describe a woman's sensual awakening. I was not offended. In fact, they were both emotionally moving. So if you want to read a solid romance by an excellent author, download Joe's Wife.
July 22, 2023
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒.5
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞.5
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨
First Impressions
Joe's Wife is a book that I saw mentioned in one of the historical romance groups that I am a part of and I decided to try this one out as this is an author that I have been wanting to pick up for quite some time now. I found Joe's Wife to be a endearing romance that was beyond sweet and heart endearing with just the right level of poignant emotion that really balanced out the story so well. I really fell hard for this one, and while this is not close to a perfect read, it was just right for the mood that I was in for. If you are looking for a sweet western that has low angst for the most part than I recommend this one here.
First Line
I'm tellin' ya the same thing I told ya last week an' the week before--there aint no job for ya here."
The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Tye Hatcher
The town's outcast, saloon piano player, solider in the war, born out of wedlock and has been shunned by the town all of his life and just looking for a fresh start.
The Heroine: Meg Talford
Meg is a widow of a prominant family in the town, she is determined to keep her late husband's dream of a ranch alive and proposes a marriage to the one man that won't be able to turn her down but has always been kind to her.
Summary
Meg is a recent widow and she loved her husband Joe most of her life, they were the typical friends to lovers set up. She tolerated his family, but Joe was the man that she admired and would do anything to make his dream come alive. When he died, she refused to sell the land as his family desired of her. But in order to keep the ranch going, she will need to marry someone that is strong and hardworking and she knows of one man that would fit the bill. Tye Hatcher is the town reject. Ever since he was born, he has been denied a honest chance. After serving in the war, he came back wanting a fresh start, and is barely making it playing the piano part time. When Meg makes a proposal to him, he knows he can't resist it, as its his one chance to keep his dreams alive. But his new wife Meg, is a woman that is still in love with her late husband, and it will take time and trust and honesty for Meg and Tye to find a beautiful love they both have dreamed of...
What I Loved
There was quite a bit that I enjoyed about this story. Its a super sweet read. It does have some relationship angst, but its moderate and its more reasonable and very relatable to the circumstances that both of them find themselves in. I would say if you loved "Eyes of Gold" than this is a book that would definitely work for you. I adored this sweet beta hero. He is so hardworking but has such a kind soul. He has been treated so badly by the town, and only Joe and his wife Meg treated him with kindness. Meg doesn't know what to do about the town's narrowmindness including that of her in laws, but she is determined to make Tye know he is of worth. I really adored both Tye and Meg. Even though there are some misunderstandings between them, what I also loved was seeing that they do communicate when it matters and don't let things fester between them. And man that ending and that suspense at the end really thew me and kept me on the edge. I definitely found so much to love this story and it was just a sweet heartwarming western romance that I was searching for.
What I Struggled With
There isn't much, I do wish that this book had a bit more emotional depth to it. It was on the surface a beautiful romance, but it could have used a bit more conflict outside of the relationship and the development of the relationship wasn't quite fully executed as strongly as the story begins could have used a bit more finality to it in the end. Its not a five star read, but a solid story to enjoy if you are in the right mood for this one.
Overall View
I found Joe's Wife to be a endearing poignant romance that lifts the heart, inspires the spirit and delivers beautiful emotion at just the right moments.
Favorite Quote(s)
“I don’t reckon anyone does, Tye. You just sort of have to learn it as you go along. And as long as you’re trying to do what’s best for them, you can’t go too far wrong.”
Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Historical Romance, American West, Reconstruction Era
Character Types: Rancher, Widow, Bad Boy
Themes: Small Town, Kids, Western
Tropes: Marriage of Convenience
Book Perspective
3rd POV
Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
More Relationship Conflict and Less of a Plot Conflict
Song This Book Inspires
Marry Me by Thomas Rhett
Steam/Spice Explanations
Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
June 9, 2017
Quick read. I can always read Cheryl St John, but this book isn't as developed as her other books. It was ok I guess. I am giving it the 3rd star because of the writer.
Meg was a widow. Her husband Joe died in the war and she had been pining for him ever since. Tye was looked down by the town because he was a bastard and his mother was a prostitute. Meg asked Tye to marry her so she could keep the ranch where she and her late husband dreamed of building a life together. Tye married Meg. He was just flattered. I had the impression. Both Tye and Meg are not very vivid characters. They seemed kind of flat to me, their reasoning for wanting the marriage contrite and their attraction rather forced. It is purely Cheryl St John's writing that held me interest.
Meg was a widow. Her husband Joe died in the war and she had been pining for him ever since. Tye was looked down by the town because he was a bastard and his mother was a prostitute. Meg asked Tye to marry her so she could keep the ranch where she and her late husband dreamed of building a life together. Tye married Meg. He was just flattered. I had the impression. Both Tye and Meg are not very vivid characters. They seemed kind of flat to me, their reasoning for wanting the marriage contrite and their attraction rather forced. It is purely Cheryl St John's writing that held me interest.
March 26, 2020
I’ve given up trying to read new books at present and instead reread some beloved books I’ve read before. Joe’s Wife is one I’ve read a few times now and is a book I know is safe to read as in I already know the ending.
Meg Telford is our heroine and she’s at the crossroads. She’s a young widow whose husband was killed in the Civil War. Her mother in law is pressuring Meg into moving in with her but Meg is determined to hold on to the struggling ranch she and her husband purchased before he was killed.
And she figures the only way to do that is to remarry. But there aren’t a lot of single men to choose from. But she decides to see if Tye Hatcher would be interested. She’s known him for years though not well. He’s the son of a prostitute and as such has been ostracized by the town his whole life. Tye agrees and though they start of as almost strangers, they begin to develop deepening feelings for each other.
But Meg feels guilty for her feelings for Tye, thinking she’s betraying her husband and Tye knows he will never live up to her first husband and although now married to him, she will always be ‘Joe’s wife’.
This is such a tender story and Tye is such a lonely and beautiful hero it’s impossible not to fall for him. It’s a gentle story and still vey deserving of the 5 stars I gave it years ago.
Meg Telford is our heroine and she’s at the crossroads. She’s a young widow whose husband was killed in the Civil War. Her mother in law is pressuring Meg into moving in with her but Meg is determined to hold on to the struggling ranch she and her husband purchased before he was killed.
And she figures the only way to do that is to remarry. But there aren’t a lot of single men to choose from. But she decides to see if Tye Hatcher would be interested. She’s known him for years though not well. He’s the son of a prostitute and as such has been ostracized by the town his whole life. Tye agrees and though they start of as almost strangers, they begin to develop deepening feelings for each other.
But Meg feels guilty for her feelings for Tye, thinking she’s betraying her husband and Tye knows he will never live up to her first husband and although now married to him, she will always be ‘Joe’s wife’.
This is such a tender story and Tye is such a lonely and beautiful hero it’s impossible not to fall for him. It’s a gentle story and still vey deserving of the 5 stars I gave it years ago.
November 3, 2020
This book will be added to my re read list
I found it perfectly imperfect
Loved it like my espresso in the morning
What else to add ?
THANK YOU KRISTIEJ ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I found it perfectly imperfect
Loved it like my espresso in the morning
What else to add ?
THANK YOU KRISTIEJ ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
January 17, 2024
3.5 stars. The January 2024 #TBRChallenge is "Once More with Feeling." I chose to interpret this as a second chance romance prompt, and dug into my Harlequin Historicals for a tried-and-true favorite author. I tend to hoard their backlists for when I especially need a strong read, and what better way to start this year's reading challenge than with a Cheryl St John title?
As the blurb implies, our leads have baggage galore. Tye Hatcher has returned to Aspen Grove, Colorado, after the Civil War. He's not sure why he returned to the town, given the fact that he's been ostracized practically since birth. His mother was a saloon girl and his father didn't even acknowledge his existence. He's always been on the outside looking in, and I guess he figured one place was as good as any to return after war. He's trying to save up some money to buy some land to start a rendering plant, but thus far has had no luck seeking gainful employment. The only place that will have him is the local saloon, where he plays the piano in the evenings.
Meg Telford is a beautiful young woman who was a town favorite even before marrying into the prosperous Telford family. Her husband, Joe, did not return alive from the war, and she's been in mourning ever since. She's at a crossroads: she and Joe bought a plot of land and a bunch of cattle before the war, trying to make it on their own as ranchers. Joe barely had time to build a house before being called for the war effort, and now Meg is down to her last dimes trying to keep hold of her land. Her husband's family is pressuring her to sell and move in with her mother-in-law, Edwina. Edwina has made mourning a Way of Life: first she donned the black for her own husband, and then for her beloved son, Joe. She wants Meg to move in with her and basically serve as a companion, but Meg wants desperately to hold onto Joe's dream of the ranch.
To that end, she comes to a conclusion: she needs a man to work the land and coax a profit. She can't afford to pay him, so she decides to offer a marriage of convenience instead. The only eligible man in town is Tye Hatcher, whom Meg knew as a child. Meg is perhaps the only respectable person in town willing to give Tye a chance, aside from the Reverend. She thinks long and hard and decides to offer marriage - and her property - to him. It will save her from having to sell the rest of her furniture to pay the mortgage and will get Edwina & co off her back about selling.
Meanwhile, Tye has been approached by an old friend, Lottie, who is dying and wants him to take guardianship of her young daughter, Eve. Lottie plays on Tye's emotions to achieve this end, knowing how strongly he feels about being a fatherless child, and wanting to shield an innocent from such a fate. He agrees to take Eve, even though he can barely support himself, much less a child.
Meg's proposal comes just in time. Tye is shocked, and warns her that if he marries her, she will also be ostracized by the town. Meg is desperate enough to not care. They agree to marry, and Tye will move onto Meg's ranch. With her land and her stock, the rendering plant will be even more successful, even sooner - if they can make it through the season and keep the cattle alive long enough to be sold.
Meg doesn't quite believe Tye about the town turning their backs on her, but she gets a taste of it firsthand at their wedding, when nobody attends except her farm hands (her sister-in-law sneaks in, too, behind her husband's back, but only for a very short period). Meg is shocked, but swallows her pride and moves forward. She's struck her bargain and she's going to stick with it.
The dead husband, Joe, is a huge wedge between them. Meg loved him dearly and is not quite ready to let his memory go. Tye is jealous of this, and because Joe kept providing for her even beyond the grave: he sent home a pair of exquisite horses that Tye decides to stud out, covering some of their immediate monetary needs. Joe also built Meg a house and started the ranch, and Tye wonders how he could ever take his "rightful" place on the ranch that's now his.
Lottie dies soon after Tye and Meg wed, and Tye is forced to tell Meg about Eve. Meg balks at taking in a whore's illegitimate daughter, but Tye insists and brings Eve to the ranch. Meg softens towards the child, but becomes jealous of the bond that Tye and Eve forge. She fights with herself about her feelings, her memories, and her own pride, especially when she sees how shabbily the rest of the townspeople treat Eve.
There's a LOT of baggage to go around, and a lot of things that could've been solved if Tye and Meg had bothered talking to each other instead of making assumptions. Once they do being talking, tensions ease, at least between them. They decide to adopt Eve, legitimizing her and taking away the stigma that Tye labored under as a kid. They have a successful breeding season with the cattle and the horses. Tye even manages to buy back the ring that Meg had to sell at the beginning of their marriage to cover a mortgage payment, even though he does it in secret by returning to town to play nights in the saloon, leaving Meg to think the worst.
There's a lot to sink your teeth into, and a lot to mull over. Tye and Meg both deal with feelings of insecurity, jealousy, pride, shame, and humiliation. The author pulls no punches at how awfully the town (and Meg's family, led by Edwina) treat them all, even little Eve. There is an excellent moment of catharsis when Meg confronts her former mother-in-law about the terrible things she's saying about Meg and how Joe WOULD NEVER if he was still alive.
For all the awesome, there is some "meh" as well. Meg's absolute lack of knowledge of the marriage bed was unbelievable, considering she was happily married. She didn't know sex was supposed to be fun?! WTF?? Their own pleasure was basically the only thing women in 1865 had to call their own and no one else's, but Meg spends most of the book feeling ashamed for how lusty she feels over Tye, her own husband. (Yeah, okay.) She also apparently didn't know anything about the signs and symptoms of pregnancy. I just can't buy that a woman who is otherwise intelligent has absolutely no knowledge of her own body.
It is also disappointing that Tye has to make a Grand Gesture at the end to be accepted by the town, much less Edwina and the rest of the Telfords. Grand Gestures are some of my least favorite plot devices, and I kinda wanted them to keep forging their own way and to hell with those who were prejudiced against them. But, that's me. Obviously Tye proves his worth to the town, and to his wife, and they all live happily ever after.
It's another strong showing by Ms St John, and another great, meaty Western historical that hits all the feels. It was a great book to start this challenge with, and gives me hope for the rest of the prompts!
As the blurb implies, our leads have baggage galore. Tye Hatcher has returned to Aspen Grove, Colorado, after the Civil War. He's not sure why he returned to the town, given the fact that he's been ostracized practically since birth. His mother was a saloon girl and his father didn't even acknowledge his existence. He's always been on the outside looking in, and I guess he figured one place was as good as any to return after war. He's trying to save up some money to buy some land to start a rendering plant, but thus far has had no luck seeking gainful employment. The only place that will have him is the local saloon, where he plays the piano in the evenings.
Meg Telford is a beautiful young woman who was a town favorite even before marrying into the prosperous Telford family. Her husband, Joe, did not return alive from the war, and she's been in mourning ever since. She's at a crossroads: she and Joe bought a plot of land and a bunch of cattle before the war, trying to make it on their own as ranchers. Joe barely had time to build a house before being called for the war effort, and now Meg is down to her last dimes trying to keep hold of her land. Her husband's family is pressuring her to sell and move in with her mother-in-law, Edwina. Edwina has made mourning a Way of Life: first she donned the black for her own husband, and then for her beloved son, Joe. She wants Meg to move in with her and basically serve as a companion, but Meg wants desperately to hold onto Joe's dream of the ranch.
To that end, she comes to a conclusion: she needs a man to work the land and coax a profit. She can't afford to pay him, so she decides to offer a marriage of convenience instead. The only eligible man in town is Tye Hatcher, whom Meg knew as a child. Meg is perhaps the only respectable person in town willing to give Tye a chance, aside from the Reverend. She thinks long and hard and decides to offer marriage - and her property - to him. It will save her from having to sell the rest of her furniture to pay the mortgage and will get Edwina & co off her back about selling.
Meanwhile, Tye has been approached by an old friend, Lottie, who is dying and wants him to take guardianship of her young daughter, Eve. Lottie plays on Tye's emotions to achieve this end, knowing how strongly he feels about being a fatherless child, and wanting to shield an innocent from such a fate. He agrees to take Eve, even though he can barely support himself, much less a child.
Meg's proposal comes just in time. Tye is shocked, and warns her that if he marries her, she will also be ostracized by the town. Meg is desperate enough to not care. They agree to marry, and Tye will move onto Meg's ranch. With her land and her stock, the rendering plant will be even more successful, even sooner - if they can make it through the season and keep the cattle alive long enough to be sold.
Meg doesn't quite believe Tye about the town turning their backs on her, but she gets a taste of it firsthand at their wedding, when nobody attends except her farm hands (her sister-in-law sneaks in, too, behind her husband's back, but only for a very short period). Meg is shocked, but swallows her pride and moves forward. She's struck her bargain and she's going to stick with it.
The dead husband, Joe, is a huge wedge between them. Meg loved him dearly and is not quite ready to let his memory go. Tye is jealous of this, and because Joe kept providing for her even beyond the grave: he sent home a pair of exquisite horses that Tye decides to stud out, covering some of their immediate monetary needs. Joe also built Meg a house and started the ranch, and Tye wonders how he could ever take his "rightful" place on the ranch that's now his.
Lottie dies soon after Tye and Meg wed, and Tye is forced to tell Meg about Eve. Meg balks at taking in a whore's illegitimate daughter, but Tye insists and brings Eve to the ranch. Meg softens towards the child, but becomes jealous of the bond that Tye and Eve forge. She fights with herself about her feelings, her memories, and her own pride, especially when she sees how shabbily the rest of the townspeople treat Eve.
There's a LOT of baggage to go around, and a lot of things that could've been solved if Tye and Meg had bothered talking to each other instead of making assumptions. Once they do being talking, tensions ease, at least between them. They decide to adopt Eve, legitimizing her and taking away the stigma that Tye labored under as a kid. They have a successful breeding season with the cattle and the horses. Tye even manages to buy back the ring that Meg had to sell at the beginning of their marriage to cover a mortgage payment, even though he does it in secret by returning to town to play nights in the saloon, leaving Meg to think the worst.
There's a lot to sink your teeth into, and a lot to mull over. Tye and Meg both deal with feelings of insecurity, jealousy, pride, shame, and humiliation. The author pulls no punches at how awfully the town (and Meg's family, led by Edwina) treat them all, even little Eve. There is an excellent moment of catharsis when Meg confronts her former mother-in-law about the terrible things she's saying about Meg and how Joe WOULD NEVER if he was still alive.
For all the awesome, there is some "meh" as well. Meg's absolute lack of knowledge of the marriage bed was unbelievable, considering she was happily married. She didn't know sex was supposed to be fun?! WTF?? Their own pleasure was basically the only thing women in 1865 had to call their own and no one else's, but Meg spends most of the book feeling ashamed for how lusty she feels over Tye, her own husband. (Yeah, okay.) She also apparently didn't know anything about the signs and symptoms of pregnancy. I just can't buy that a woman who is otherwise intelligent has absolutely no knowledge of her own body.
It is also disappointing that Tye has to make a Grand Gesture at the end to be accepted by the town, much less Edwina and the rest of the Telfords. Grand Gestures are some of my least favorite plot devices, and I kinda wanted them to keep forging their own way and to hell with those who were prejudiced against them. But, that's me. Obviously Tye proves his worth to the town, and to his wife, and they all live happily ever after.
It's another strong showing by Ms St John, and another great, meaty Western historical that hits all the feels. It was a great book to start this challenge with, and gives me hope for the rest of the prompts!
February 25, 2017
Tye Hatcher recently returned to Aspen Grove from the war. The same war that took the life of Meg Telford's husband Joe. As a bastard and the son of a saloon girl, Tye had a tough time growing up in a small town where its people always treated him like a pariah. He is a good man who is not judged by his character, but by the circumstances of his birth. Joe has dreams and something to prove to the people of Aspen Grove.
Meg Telford is a sweet, beautiful young woman who loved her husband. She wants nothing more than to continue the dream she and Joe began when they bought their ranch together. Even though the ranch now belongs to her, she's a woman and alone. This fact makes it tough for her to continue what Joe started. Meg finds herself fighting Joe's family and the bank to fulfill their dream. But Meg's sweetness hides a spine of steel, she'll do what it takes to keep Joe's ranch and what is hers. Meg's answer is to take a husband and Tye Hatcher is the perfect man.
I loved the way Cheryl St. John developed this story and the characters. The slow, tentative way in which these two people get to know each other and their love blooms. I fell in love with Tye and the subtle way in which he showed his love, as well as his passion for Meg. And, I couldn't help but admire Meg. Their guilts, self-doubts, jealousies, sexual tension and needs are realistic and understandable. Both Meg and Tye have issues and baggage that they bring to this unexpected marriage and the way they handle them, themselves and the town's reactions make the story in Joe's Wife.
Meg Telford is a sweet, beautiful young woman who loved her husband. She wants nothing more than to continue the dream she and Joe began when they bought their ranch together. Even though the ranch now belongs to her, she's a woman and alone. This fact makes it tough for her to continue what Joe started. Meg finds herself fighting Joe's family and the bank to fulfill their dream. But Meg's sweetness hides a spine of steel, she'll do what it takes to keep Joe's ranch and what is hers. Meg's answer is to take a husband and Tye Hatcher is the perfect man.
I loved the way Cheryl St. John developed this story and the characters. The slow, tentative way in which these two people get to know each other and their love blooms. I fell in love with Tye and the subtle way in which he showed his love, as well as his passion for Meg. And, I couldn't help but admire Meg. Their guilts, self-doubts, jealousies, sexual tension and needs are realistic and understandable. Both Meg and Tye have issues and baggage that they bring to this unexpected marriage and the way they handle them, themselves and the town's reactions make the story in Joe's Wife.
September 7, 2011
I usually like convenience-marriage histories, because they allow you the see how a relationship evolves from respect to love, how the emotional link between two people grows.
In this case, there was another challenge: Tye not only faces a convenience marriage proposal (Megan marries him to save the ranch), he faces the memory of Megan's husband.
I enjoyed it, but sometimes Megan discomfited me. And I had a feeling that in the end, the writer wanted us to feel that Tye was better than Joe (at least sexually). I would have loved it better if it wasn't necessary. Luckily I have not had the experience, but I think that is possible just to love a different person, not because it is better, but because is just a different one, because of the bonding in spite of the new virtues and flaws.
In this case, there was another challenge: Tye not only faces a convenience marriage proposal (Megan marries him to save the ranch), he faces the memory of Megan's husband.
I enjoyed it, but sometimes Megan discomfited me. And I had a feeling that in the end, the writer wanted us to feel that Tye was better than Joe (at least sexually). I would have loved it better if it wasn't necessary. Luckily I have not had the experience, but I think that is possible just to love a different person, not because it is better, but because is just a different one, because of the bonding in spite of the new virtues and flaws.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2010
Cheryl St. John is always good for a touching love story! I love her style of writing and the honesty of her characters.
August 7, 2024
If this book sounds interesting, then please do yourself a favor and read Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer instead. This isn’t a bad book by any means, but it can’t hold a candle to Morning Glory. As soon as I finished this book, I couldn’t help but reread Morning Glory because of all the similarities. That book makes me cry like a baby at times because it is so tender and full of the most wonderful moments I’ve ever read. I’m aware this basically turned into a promo for a completely separate book, but I’m afraid that is the majority of what was in my head while reading this story.
November 20, 2020
Meg Telford is a young widow whose husband Joe died in the war leaving her to run their small ranch near Aspen Grove with only a couple of old cowboys. Her in-laws want her to sell it and move back into town to live with them. But Meg values her independence and does not want to let go of Joe's ranch. Tye Hatcher is a war veteran who returns after the war to Aspen Grove, the home of his birth. Tye grew up a bastard son of a prostitute who is now dead in order to fulfill his dream of earning enough money to start his own packing plant. The town has always treated him poorly and when he returns to town after the war they still treat him like dirt and he has a difficult time finding work of any kind. This was the only part of the story that just did not work for me. Why would anyone return to a place where he is treated like a pariah? He could have gone anywhere after the war and no one would have known his background, but instead he comes back for more punishment.
Meg has a mortgage payment due and has been selling off anything of value in order to hang onto the ranch. But her options are running out. Since she can't afford to pay any more ranch hands, she decides she needs a husband to work hard and help get the ranch financially stable. But since it's after the war, men of marriageable age are scarce. She decides to propose marriage to Tye. He will help her with the ranch in exchange she will help him with his dream of a packing plant if they make enough money. Tye feels he cannot refuse such an opportunity to realize his dream. They marry and cause quite a scandal in town.
The love that slowly develops between them is beautifully written and very emotional. Tye is a wonderful, wounded and courageous man. Although he has thoughts that he is not good enough for Meg, he shows his worth to Meg and the entire town. St. John is spare in her writing but the emotion she conveys is very powerful. Tye promises the town prostitute on her death bed to raise her daughter. So five-year old Eve comes to live with Tye and Meg. Tye is not sure who the father is but he suspects. Tye has always felt excluded and alone. When Meg confronts him about the paternity of Eve in a climatic scene near the end of the book, I went straight for my Kleenex box. Meg is also a wonderful, compassionate character. She is the only one in town who always treated Tye with respect. Slowly she comes to stop thinking of herself as Joe's wife and starts thinking of herself as Tye's wife.
Meg has a mortgage payment due and has been selling off anything of value in order to hang onto the ranch. But her options are running out. Since she can't afford to pay any more ranch hands, she decides she needs a husband to work hard and help get the ranch financially stable. But since it's after the war, men of marriageable age are scarce. She decides to propose marriage to Tye. He will help her with the ranch in exchange she will help him with his dream of a packing plant if they make enough money. Tye feels he cannot refuse such an opportunity to realize his dream. They marry and cause quite a scandal in town.
The love that slowly develops between them is beautifully written and very emotional. Tye is a wonderful, wounded and courageous man. Although he has thoughts that he is not good enough for Meg, he shows his worth to Meg and the entire town. St. John is spare in her writing but the emotion she conveys is very powerful. Tye promises the town prostitute on her death bed to raise her daughter. So five-year old Eve comes to live with Tye and Meg. Tye is not sure who the father is but he suspects. Tye has always felt excluded and alone. When Meg confronts him about the paternity of Eve in a climatic scene near the end of the book, I went straight for my Kleenex box. Meg is also a wonderful, compassionate character. She is the only one in town who always treated Tye with respect. Slowly she comes to stop thinking of herself as Joe's wife and starts thinking of herself as Tye's wife.
July 30, 2011
JOE'S WIFE was the first book I read by Cheryl St. John. Joe Telford was a good man and loving husband to Meg. They had known each other since childhood and had great plans to develop the Circle T ranch, their home, before the Civil War took over their lives. Joe died and his family, including Meg, had difficult coping long after he was gone.
Tye Hatcher knew both Joe and Meg when they were younger. He was the son of the town prostitute but Joe and Meg always treated him kindly. Unfortunately very few others did. He also went off to war and was injured but returned to his hometown. Here is where I felt the story was hard to swallow. Why would Tye return to a place where just about everyone treated him like dirt? He did nothing wrong except he was a bastard and his mother was the town prostitute.
Meg wants to make a go of the Circle T but the bank is threatening to take over her place if she doesn't come up with the payment soon. 'Mother' Telford also wants Meg to live with her in town so she can continue overseeing Meg's life and keep the memory of Joe strong. Meg is still very much in love with the memory of Joe but she realizes that things are going to have to change if her life on the ranch can go on.
She sees Tye has returned, is again treated with hatred by the townspeople, and comes up with a plan. She approaches him with a marriage of convenience. He will help her see that the Circle T prospers and she will give him the chance to own the land with her and develop it using some of his ideas. He has next to nothing and, secretly longing for Meg to learn to love him, he agrees.
There is a secondary story concerning Tye and the guardianship of the child of a prostitute who is dying that comes in to play. Tye always treats Meg with respect and Meg slowly learns what a wonderful husband he is; yes, Tye is different but treats her better than Joe.
Ms. St. John writes about her lead characters with depth and compassion. I enjoyed this romance but can't rate it higher than 3 stars because of constant belittling of Joe by the town. Meg lets things slide a little too long before she finally takes up for him publicly. If you enjoy this type of story I would encourage you to read WHERE THE WIND BLOWS by Caroline Fyffe.
Tye Hatcher knew both Joe and Meg when they were younger. He was the son of the town prostitute but Joe and Meg always treated him kindly. Unfortunately very few others did. He also went off to war and was injured but returned to his hometown. Here is where I felt the story was hard to swallow. Why would Tye return to a place where just about everyone treated him like dirt? He did nothing wrong except he was a bastard and his mother was the town prostitute.
Meg wants to make a go of the Circle T but the bank is threatening to take over her place if she doesn't come up with the payment soon. 'Mother' Telford also wants Meg to live with her in town so she can continue overseeing Meg's life and keep the memory of Joe strong. Meg is still very much in love with the memory of Joe but she realizes that things are going to have to change if her life on the ranch can go on.
She sees Tye has returned, is again treated with hatred by the townspeople, and comes up with a plan. She approaches him with a marriage of convenience. He will help her see that the Circle T prospers and she will give him the chance to own the land with her and develop it using some of his ideas. He has next to nothing and, secretly longing for Meg to learn to love him, he agrees.
There is a secondary story concerning Tye and the guardianship of the child of a prostitute who is dying that comes in to play. Tye always treats Meg with respect and Meg slowly learns what a wonderful husband he is; yes, Tye is different but treats her better than Joe.
Ms. St. John writes about her lead characters with depth and compassion. I enjoyed this romance but can't rate it higher than 3 stars because of constant belittling of Joe by the town. Meg lets things slide a little too long before she finally takes up for him publicly. If you enjoy this type of story I would encourage you to read WHERE THE WIND BLOWS by Caroline Fyffe.
June 10, 2010
Meg Telford's husband died while fighting in the Civil War. She refuses to give up their farm. Knowing that she has no hope of keeping it unless she marries, she proposes to Ty Hatcher. Ty recently returned to Aspen Grove after fighting in the War. He was always ostracized by the townsfolk because he never knew his father. One of the only citizens who were ever nice to him was Meg. She always had a smile for him even though others shunned him and now she is asking him to marry her. It was a dream come true, until he realized he would be filling a dead man's shoes.
Joe's Wife was an absolute treat to read. It is one of those stories where the reader easily gets lost in the characters. Meg is grieving the loss of her husband and doesn't want to give up his dream - which was to make a success of their farm. Joe wants to prove to the townsfolk that he is worthy of their respect even though he is technically a bastard. Meg and Joe start off their marriage as one of convenience but eventually come to love one another. It is a beautiful journey between two people learning to come to terms with who they are and their new life together.
[a href="http://lesliespsyche.blogspot.com&quo...] has written a really wonderful [a href="http://lesliespsyche.blogspot.com/200...], which influenced me to read this book. I just would like to point out one thing in addition to what Leslie said. I really appreciate that the love scenes are integral to the development of Meg and Joe's relationship. They are sensual, yet they are pivotal in moving the relationship forward. I love how Meg and Ty work through their problems. Even though the sex is great, they eventually have to talk about it! If you are in the mood for a wonderful Western or Marriage of Convenience, don't miss this one!
Joe's Wife was an absolute treat to read. It is one of those stories where the reader easily gets lost in the characters. Meg is grieving the loss of her husband and doesn't want to give up his dream - which was to make a success of their farm. Joe wants to prove to the townsfolk that he is worthy of their respect even though he is technically a bastard. Meg and Joe start off their marriage as one of convenience but eventually come to love one another. It is a beautiful journey between two people learning to come to terms with who they are and their new life together.
[a href="http://lesliespsyche.blogspot.com&quo...] has written a really wonderful [a href="http://lesliespsyche.blogspot.com/200...], which influenced me to read this book. I just would like to point out one thing in addition to what Leslie said. I really appreciate that the love scenes are integral to the development of Meg and Joe's relationship. They are sensual, yet they are pivotal in moving the relationship forward. I love how Meg and Ty work through their problems. Even though the sex is great, they eventually have to talk about it! If you are in the mood for a wonderful Western or Marriage of Convenience, don't miss this one!
October 5, 2009
This is one of the first HHs I ever read, and it will always be a favorite.
November 5, 2023
**Most of my reviews contain detailed Content Notes (including CW/TW) sections, which may include spoilers. I have tried to mark them appropriately, but please use caution.**
Physical
4.5/5
Summary: Wounded and ostracised Union veteran Tye Hatcher agrees to marry desperate widow Meg Telford (a childhood acquaintance) and help maintain her late-husband’s ranch, and struggles with their judgemental town, competes with the memory of her late husband and has a surprise ward deposited in his lap.
Stats: HR - Western 1860s, M/F, stand alone, cracked open door.
Notes: I really enjoyed this - which was a very slight surprise as some of Cheryl St John’s other books have been misses for me. I liked how focused the story was on the MMC and his feelings - and loved the quiet tenderness of the main character’s relationship. I really appreciated how the jealousy was addressed from both character’s perspective - though some of the communication issues were a little frustrating (not too bad), as was a little bit of the plot surrounding the child. The surrounding detail is really good and I quite like the sex scenes - very limited cracked open door, but really well done.
OTT and Spoilery Content Notes:
Physical
4.5/5
Summary: Wounded and ostracised Union veteran Tye Hatcher agrees to marry desperate widow Meg Telford (a childhood acquaintance) and help maintain her late-husband’s ranch, and struggles with their judgemental town, competes with the memory of her late husband and has a surprise ward deposited in his lap.
Stats: HR - Western 1860s, M/F, stand alone, cracked open door.
Notes: I really enjoyed this - which was a very slight surprise as some of Cheryl St John’s other books have been misses for me. I liked how focused the story was on the MMC and his feelings - and loved the quiet tenderness of the main character’s relationship. I really appreciated how the jealousy was addressed from both character’s perspective - though some of the communication issues were a little frustrating (not too bad), as was a little bit of the plot surrounding the child. The surrounding detail is really good and I quite like the sex scenes - very limited cracked open door, but really well done.
OTT and Spoilery Content Notes:
September 10, 2025
Solid read! Tye was sweet & the intimate scenes were tasteful. Some parts were a bit overly spelled out, since the characters had trouble connecting the dots. Nothing a little skimming couldn’t fix. 3.5 rounded up to 4 for enjoyment.
September 23, 2017
This had so many tropes I loved, including a long-time crush and a precious hero who thinks he's trash but is really made of gold.
July 28, 2011
JOE'S WIFE was the first book I read by Cheryl St. John. Joe Telford was a good man and loving husband to Meg. They had known each other since childhood and had great plans to develop the Circle T ranch, their home, before the Civil War took over their lives. Joe died and his family, including Meg, had difficult coping long after he was gone.
Tye Hatcher knew both Joe and Meg when they were younger. He was the son of the town prostitute but Joe and Meg always treated him kindly. Unfortunately very few others did. He also went off to war and was injured but returned to his hometown. Here is where I felt the story was hard to swallow. Why would Tye return to a place where just about everyone treated him like dirt? He did nothing wrong except he was a bastard and his mother was the town prostitute.
Meg wants to make a go of the Circle T but the bank is threatening to take over her place if she doesn't come up with the payment soon. 'Mother' Telford also wants Meg to live with her in town so she can continue overseeing Meg's life and keep the memory of Joe strong. Meg is still very much in love with the memory of Joe but she realizes that things are going to have to change if her life on the ranch can go on.
She sees Tye has returned, is again treated with hatred by the townspeople, and comes up with a plan. She approaches him with a marriage of convenience. He will help her see that the Circle T prospers and she will give him the chance to own the land with her and develop it using some of his ideas. He has next to nothing and, secretly longing for Meg to learn to love him, he agrees.
There is a secondary story concerning Tye and the guardianship of the child of a prostitute who is dying that comes in to play. Tye always treats Meg with respect and Meg slowly learns what a wonderful husband he is; yes, Tye is different but treats her better than Joe.
Ms. St. John writes about her lead characters with depth and compassion. I enjoyed this romance but can't rate it higher than 3 stars because of constant belittling of Joe by the town. Meg lets things slide a little too long before she finally takes up for him publicly. If you enjoy this type of story I would encourage you to read WHERE THE WIND BLOWS by Caroline Fyffe.
Tye Hatcher knew both Joe and Meg when they were younger. He was the son of the town prostitute but Joe and Meg always treated him kindly. Unfortunately very few others did. He also went off to war and was injured but returned to his hometown. Here is where I felt the story was hard to swallow. Why would Tye return to a place where just about everyone treated him like dirt? He did nothing wrong except he was a bastard and his mother was the town prostitute.
Meg wants to make a go of the Circle T but the bank is threatening to take over her place if she doesn't come up with the payment soon. 'Mother' Telford also wants Meg to live with her in town so she can continue overseeing Meg's life and keep the memory of Joe strong. Meg is still very much in love with the memory of Joe but she realizes that things are going to have to change if her life on the ranch can go on.
She sees Tye has returned, is again treated with hatred by the townspeople, and comes up with a plan. She approaches him with a marriage of convenience. He will help her see that the Circle T prospers and she will give him the chance to own the land with her and develop it using some of his ideas. He has next to nothing and, secretly longing for Meg to learn to love him, he agrees.
There is a secondary story concerning Tye and the guardianship of the child of a prostitute who is dying that comes in to play. Tye always treats Meg with respect and Meg slowly learns what a wonderful husband he is; yes, Tye is different but treats her better than Joe.
Ms. St. John writes about her lead characters with depth and compassion. I enjoyed this romance but can't rate it higher than 3 stars because of constant belittling of Joe by the town. Meg lets things slide a little too long before she finally takes up for him publicly. If you enjoy this type of story I would encourage you to read WHERE THE WIND BLOWS by Caroline Fyffe.
January 19, 2010
Returning to his home town of Aspen Grove Colorado after the end of the Civil War, Tye Hatcher found that nothing had changed. The people who had shunned him as a child did so again making it impossible to find a job and save the money that he needs to build his dreams. The war had taken a lot of good men and one of them was Joe Telford, leaving his young wife (Meg) a new widow with a ranch to take care of. Not knowing of any other way to keep the ranch going any longer, Meg Telford approached Tye with an unlikely proposal of marriage as a business proposition. If she could find a way to save Joe’s ranch with his help, she would sacrifice anything.
Harlequin Historicals to me are like going home, I really enjoy them and this one is no exception. I really enjoyed the style and the atmosphere of this book, with its setting in 1865 and the limited amount of characters, each one was so well developed and the interactions were expected but still delightful. I really liked the way each one of them had strength of character and deep emotions without being overbearing or a pushover.
Harlequin Historicals to me are like going home, I really enjoy them and this one is no exception. I really enjoyed the style and the atmosphere of this book, with its setting in 1865 and the limited amount of characters, each one was so well developed and the interactions were expected but still delightful. I really liked the way each one of them had strength of character and deep emotions without being overbearing or a pushover.
February 17, 2015
When Meg Telford's husband Joe is killed in the war, she's struggling to keep their ranch going. Joe's family are pressuring her to sell. But Meg has no intention of spending the rest of her days living with Joe's mother. She has to find a solution, then she meets in town returning bad boy Tye Hatcher he's home from the war, but he's not welcomed by the town, he's the son of a prostitute and has been despised for that his whole life. When Meg puts a proposition to him that he marry her to save her ranch he's taken aback. He'd always liked Meg, she had never treated him badly, but he knows he's not good enough for her.
A lovely story between two people that at first look are poles apart in their outlook. But Tye is keen to prove to Meg that he can be the man she needs. But there's always the fact that Meg was married to Joe, it was Joe that Meg loved, it was Joe's dream to build up the ranch. Tye wonders if Meg will ever feel anything for him. He's got a surprise in store for Meg as well, one that might drive them apart forever.
This is a sweet romance that draws you in from the first page.
A lovely story between two people that at first look are poles apart in their outlook. But Tye is keen to prove to Meg that he can be the man she needs. But there's always the fact that Meg was married to Joe, it was Joe that Meg loved, it was Joe's dream to build up the ranch. Tye wonders if Meg will ever feel anything for him. He's got a surprise in store for Meg as well, one that might drive them apart forever.
This is a sweet romance that draws you in from the first page.
July 2, 2019
It’s 1865 in Colorado; it’s after the Civil War that filled communities with heartache; and, it’s my favorite genre’. What more could I ask? The story-line is wonderful and I loved every minute of it. Tye Hatcher returns to Aspen Grove after the war and finds nothing is truly different except there is more hatred, more loss and he is still not wanted there. He lacked a father so had the debilitating label of a “bastard” and no one could get over it. The men glared at him; the women shunned him; and, the businesses refused to hire him. Nothing had changed except he came home with war wounds and alone. War widow, Meg Telford, needed his help but it came at a price she may not be able to live with. This book is excellent, will bring tears and give you some smiles. BTW, readers will love a small tyke named Eve. She added so much to the book.
July 8, 2019
I’m a sucker for marriage of convenience to marriage of love stories, and Joe’s Wife nails it.
After the civil war leaves Meg a struggling widow and depletes the town pool of eligible husbands, Meg is desperate to hang on to her deceased husband Joe’s legacy-a ranch they’d started together. In a scandalous move, Meg cuts a deal with Tye, a veteran who returns from the war to a town filled with folks who have never welcomed him. He has something to prove, and Meg’s offer of marriage and ranch ownership in exchange for his sweat equity is too good to be true. Together they face down a town teeming with disapproval. However, the snobbish denizens are nothing compared to their inner demons.
Have a box of tissue handy. StJohn puts all she has into this one. You’ll love it!
After the civil war leaves Meg a struggling widow and depletes the town pool of eligible husbands, Meg is desperate to hang on to her deceased husband Joe’s legacy-a ranch they’d started together. In a scandalous move, Meg cuts a deal with Tye, a veteran who returns from the war to a town filled with folks who have never welcomed him. He has something to prove, and Meg’s offer of marriage and ranch ownership in exchange for his sweat equity is too good to be true. Together they face down a town teeming with disapproval. However, the snobbish denizens are nothing compared to their inner demons.
Have a box of tissue handy. StJohn puts all she has into this one. You’ll love it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews