The Bargain

by Irene Bennett Brown

Book Serious changes are coming to the privileged life Clare Hobb leads at Hobb's Mills, the family conclave in 1880's New Hampshire. Consequently, she must choose between helping her troubled family, or abandoning them for the man she loves. The question is, can true love ever be bargained away? “Irene Bennett Brown has put heart, soul, and historical detail in her story of love and sacrifice in 19th century New Hampshire and Kansas. Read The Bargain.” Lucia St. Clair Robson, bestselling author of The Shadow Patriot. “The Bargain is a powerful novel about moral and spiritual courage, and offers radiant insight into how lives are won or lost by the choices we all make. This is a beautiful and compelling novel.” Richard Wheeler, award winning author of The Canyon Of Bones. “Irene Bennett Brown offers a stirring and complex story of love and family with an unforgettable protagonist in a novel that is just wonderful.” Michelle Black, author of the bestselling novel, An Uncommon Enemy. “In The Bargain, Irene Bennett Brown has created a deliciously detailed historical setting, then peopled it with winning characters rich in depth and heart.” Elizabeth Grayson, author of WILLA finalist novel, Moon In The Water.

356 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

I was born in Topeka, Kansas but from the age of nine, Oregon’s Willamette Valley has been home. As a child in one-room schools where I was often the only student in my class, I read, reread, and lived vicariously books like HEIDI, CADDIE WOODLAWN, MAMA’S BANK ACCOUNT, and LITTLE WOMEN. Jo in LITTLE WOMEN and Katrin in MAMA’S BANK ACCOUNT, writing away in their dusky attics, fueled my own dream to be a writer.

Author William Least Heat Moon is surely correct when he says “our passions at age 12 will always be with us and indicate our intended career.”

A writer who can’t not write, I pounded out my first seven books on a manual typewriter borrowed from a neighbor. Payoff for sore arms from throwing the carriage was national publication of my children’s books: in hardcover by Atheneum, E.P. Dutton, Thomas Nelson and David McKay, and in paperback book club editions by Viking Penguin, Scholastic, and Junior Literary Guild. Awards and honors include a Spur Award from Western Writers Of America and nomination for the Mark Twain Award for BEFORE THE LARK, the Evelyn Sibley Lampman Award for significant contribution to children’s literature, and inclusion on several best books’ lists.

THE PLAINSWOMAN, published originally by Ballantine, was my first novel for adults and a Western Writers Of America Spur Award finalist. Other novels include my Women Of Paragon Springs series from Five Star Cengage: LONG ROAD TURNING, BLUE HORIZONS, NO OTHER PLACE, and REAP THE SOUTH WIND. A love story set in Oregon’s Hells Canyon, HAVEN, a single title, was also published by Five Star. My historical novel, THE BARGAIN, was released by my own company, Riveredge Books, in 2007. WHERE GABLE SLEPT, the first book in my Celia Landrey mystery series, followed in 2010 and WHERE DANGER DANCED in 2012. All are now published by Riveredge Books and are also available as Kindle and Nook ebooks.

When not following my favorite pursuits, writing and reading, you’ll find me enjoying travel and exploring historic places with my husband, Bob, a retired research chemist, and spending time with our growing and busy family.

Reviews

[Mary E Trimble]

The Bargain: An American Historical Romance Novel by Irene Bennett Brown is a wonderful example of what this author does best: writing historical western novels. The story begins in New Hampshire, 1885.

Clare Hobb’s powerful family runs a successful lumber, flour and cloth mill. Unfortunately, her father suffered a brain injury when a horse kicked him in the head. Since then, his brothers have treated him with ridicule, belittling him when he performs at a slower pace, or becomes confused, torment that actually makes his condition worse. When an accident happens that kills one of the brothers, Clare’s father is blamed.

Clare is in love with Larken, a neighboring farmer, whom her uncles and their wives disdain, claiming he is “beneath” them. Seeking a better life, Larken leaves with his mother and younger brother to start a new life in Kansas, hoping that Clare’s family will follow. Unfortunately, she never receives his letters, and she has no way to reach him. The situation with Clare’s father worsens and her family has to flee New Hampshire. In the meantime, Clare finally receives the “lost” letters and now they, too, are bound for Kansas, leaving behind the family business, determined to start anew. Clare wonders if their fresh start will include Larken.

The Bargain reminds me how tough life was in that time period, not only in attitudes about class and “stations in life,” but also the difficulty in eking out a living with scarce resources. It took determination, sacrifice, frugality and the willingness to help one another to scratch out a living. Irene Bennett Brown is a master in bringing to life attitudes and living conditions of the time. The Bargain is a good, wholesome read, full of character and customs of the period.

[Arletta Dawdy]

This delightful, off-the-beaten-romance-track kept me reading until 4:00a.m. Based on Ms. Brown's own family history, she beautifully portrays lovers who appear star crossed but manage to prevail. It is a story of family loyalty and family pathology when terrible things happen to good people. It takes perseverance, deep love, and the evolution of strong characters to manage the obstacles the heroine,hero and others confront. Ms. Brown conveys all this in lovely prose with great descriptive and emotional writing.

[FredM2]

I really enjoyed reading THE BARGAIN. the story kept my interest from start to finish. I was wishing I could just nudge the characters to do something. I saw many instances where it would have benefitted them so much more if they could just get past themselves. It was a very interesting read with lots of suspense. It really kept my interest trying to figure how it was going to change. I would recommend this book to everyone, it is well worth the read.