Goodreads says, "The four McBride brothers have their worlds turned upside down when their precocious younger sister secretly places an advertisement for a mail-order bride. Kit McBride knows that Buck's Creek, Montana, is no place to find a wife. Between him and his three brothers--plus little Junebug--they manage all right on their own, thank you very much. But unbeknownst to Kit, his sister is sick to death of cleaning, cooking, and mending for her big brothers, so she places an ad in The Matrimonial News to get them hitched. After Maddy Mooney emigrated from Ireland, she found employment with an eccentric but poor widow. When her mistress decides to answer an ad for a mail-order bride, Maddy is dragged along for the ride to Montana. But en route to the West, Maddy is suddenly abandoned and left to assume the widow's name, position, and matrimonial prospects.... With no other recourse in the wilderness, Maddy must convince Kit not only is she who she says she is, but she's the wife he never knew he needed."
It's 1886 in Buck's Creek, Montana and the McBride family live at their trading post. It's the four McBride brothers and their younger sister, Junebug. Junebug, being the only female in the house, is sick of doing all the "women's work" for her brothers, so she tries to find a wife for one her oldest brother, Kit, via an ad in the newspaper. Otherwise how else will her brother meet someone at their remote trading post in the wilderness? So, Junebug places the ad for a mail-order bride without Kit knowing. In swoops widow Willabelle Lascalles along with her Irish maid, Maddy Mooney, to answer the ad. They are here in America to start over and Willabelle thinks this ad for a bride will be the solution to all of her problems. Except things don't go smoothly at all. Willabelle decides to not go through with it once in Montana and leaves Maddy behind. Maddy is pretty much abandoned and then due to a series of awkward moments, Maddy assumes the identity of Willabelle, so Kit thinks that she is the mail-order bride. Kit, at first reluctant, starts to have feelings for Maddy, vice versa, but how can they have a relationship based on lies and an incorrect identity? Kit McBride Gets a Wife by Amy Barry is a fun romp through Buck's Creek, Montana and a destination I'd love to visit again when I need an escape to the McBride family and the Montana wilderness.
Junebug is the real star of the show in Kit McBride Gets a Wife. She is hilarious, witty, snarky, outgoing, and everything you could want in a feisty heroine. She's much younger than her brothers, but readers can still appreciate her predicament as being the only young girl in a house full of men. She is juxtaposed by her strong and silent type brother, Kit. I really enjoyed his character and appreciated his love of books. He was too good to be true at times, but that's why we read romance right?
Maddy is another character in Kit McBride Gets a Wife who my heart went out to. She isn't just a maid looking for a better life in America. She is running from her past life and some of the trauma she went through. So, Maddy is a complex character for sure and while I wanted her to be honest with Kit, I could see how once she got caught up in this plan, it was hard to get out of unscathed. Plus, she is in a tough spot since she was abandoned by her employer in a new country.
The western vibes in Kit McBride Gets a Wife are really on point. I felt like I was at a remote trading post in rural Montana. It's been so long since I read a western, so it was great to get caught up in Buck's Creek, the lifestyle, the quirky citizens, and the McBride's adventurous family.
While Kit McBride Gets a Wife is a clean romance for sure, I still enjoyed being wrapped up in the McBride family and their life in Montana. It's the start of a new series and one that I think I will continue with when I need an escape to another time.
So, is Kit McBride Gets a Wife on your TBR list or have you read it yet? Do you like Westerns? Let me know in the comments below.
I recently added this one to my TBR, it sounds so fun! Definitely a twist on the typical historical romance!
ReplyDeleteYes! I think you'll like it, Angela. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteI loved this one! So fun and different.
ReplyDeleteIt was! I will definitely pick up book two. Thanks for visiting, Michele, and I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it!
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