The first book in Mona's Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek series is Mona's adult fiction debut, though she's written many books for children. I love mail-order bride stories, but this was not one of my favorites. I enjoyed discovering how Nell & Kat handled everything thrown at them throughout the story. I loved the descriptions of Cripple Creek and the scenery surrounding the town. As far as characters go, though, the secondary ones were developed more than the main ones, and there were too many. The oddest bit of the whole book was the girls' father, a single parent, abandoning all 4 of his daughters to other relatives and the whims of being mail-order brides so that he could take a job in Paris. It just doesn't sound like something a loving father would do, especially not in the time period of the story. The double romances were also written without much oomph to them, with Nell's taking a distinct backseat to Kat's, though Nell's would have been more interesting reading. I didn't realize that one of the nuns in the story was a real person in Cripple Creek, until reading the note at the end of the book, but that was a neat little twist. I am looking forward to reading Ida's and Vivian's stories.
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Review 3 for Two Brides Too Many: A Novel - eBook Sisters of Cripple Creek Series #1
This is the first book I have read written by Mona Hodgson. I will definitely keep my eyes open for others. It is a cute story written about two sisters that travel west to be mail-order brides. I would recommend it.
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Review 4 for Two Brides Too Many: A Novel - eBook Sisters of Cripple Creek Series #1
I enjoyed this book, but it was really predictable. Another thing was that it mentioned vulgar things too much for my taste. (dance hall girls, etc.) Other than this it was a good read.
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Review 7 for Two Brides Too Many: A Novel - eBook Sisters of Cripple Creek Series #1
Mona Hodgson made her mark in the realm of childrens books, delightful stories geared toward sharing uplifting messages with youngsters. With Two Brides Too Many, she moves into the world of adult romantic fiction. Hodgson uses all of the lessons learned on more than twenty juvenile books to bring Cripple Creek, Colorado to vibrant life.The four Sinclair sisters live in the structured civility of Portland, Maine in the late 1800s. When their widowed father is transferred by his employer to Paris, the girls find life turned inside-out. They must leave the company-owned house in which they live. Unable to accompany their father to Paris due to the constraints the company set, they must make alternative plans.Father has a plan. Kat and Nell will find husbands-in Colorado! They begin correspondences with their respective intended husbands and make the long trip west, only to find no one to meet them at the end of the journey. Far from home and with only each other for comfort, the girls must cope with the strange new world to which they have come.Hodgson builds a carefully researched stage for the action of her book. History and nature provide spectacular settings for a switch on the classic fish out of water tale. Cripple Creek in 1896 was an untamed mining town, prone to fires and danger. She takes no simplistic routes as she crafts a moving and exciting story of faith, family and romance, seasoned with a strong dose of adventure. We watch two city girls grow into capable women as they face challenges and disappointments on the road to romance. The story is satisfying, with a few surprises along the way. One mark of a good book is that it leaves you looking forward to the authors next work. Too Brides Too Many definitely hits the mark. Hodgsons next adult book, Too Rich for a Bride, is scheduled for release in October 2010. Ill be in line to get it.
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Review 8 for Two Brides Too Many: A Novel - eBook Sisters of Cripple Creek Series #1
I loved this book. It was a fun read. Having two sisters short on grooms made the story more interesting than if there had only been one girl looking for a guy. A fun read. I look forward to the sequel.
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Review 9 for Two Brides Too Many: A Novel - eBook Sisters of Cripple Creek Series #1
1895Mail-order brides. Not something Kat and Nell had in mind for themselves. But circumstances change their comfortable lifestyle in an instant, forcing the Sinclair sisters to place ads seeking husbands in Colorado.But when the brides arrive in Cripple Creek, neither potential husband waits to welcome them. The proper, refined sisters are on their own in the Wild West, where they share the streets with women of the night, drunks, gamblers, and generally undesirable company.In the towns one boardinghouse, the sisters are taken under the wing of its owner, Hattie Adams. Kat soon finds her intended, andfor the best of reasonsends the engagement with dramatic flair. Nell continues to await her missing bridegroom, while around them the town falls prey to fiery devastation. The sisters pitch in to help, and soon find themselves caring for the orphaned child of a local saloon girl, and watched over by the most unlikely of protectors.Enter Dr. Morgan Cutshaw, and the fireworks begin. Kat finds him rude and insufferable, while everyone else in town seems quite enchanted by the good doctors charms. Even loyal Nell cant agree with her sister on this one, and Kat is appalled to realize Nell and Hattie have become partners in matchmaking crime.When Nells intended finally makes his rather prickly entrance, the wheels are in motion for good and proper. Can love find a way into the sisters hurting hearts? Will God create beauty out of the chaos of their new lives?Two Brides Too Many is a fun, touching, wonderfully warm look at life in the Old West. Mona Hodgson knows how to keep a reader turning pages. The story includes elements of history, romance, human mistakes and blundering attempts to fix themand a subtly woven thread of Gods hand skillfully creating a masterpiece on the unsightly canvas. Absolutely enchanting!
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Review 10 for Two Brides Too Many: A Novel - eBook Sisters of Cripple Creek Series #1
The first chapter of a book is like a 30 secs teaser. You get introduced to some (in this case most) of the main characters, vivid descriptions transports you to unfamiliar places and time, the storyline wets your appetite and then abruptly leaves you at a cliff, dangling, grasping at straws for safe ground. This is in part, the feeling that i got from reading the first chapter of Two Brides Too Many. The story introduces us to four sisters, whose mentalities somewhat precedes their time. There comfortable existence is shaken by changes within the family and the girls are forced to embark on an unexpected journey. In this first chapter, you almost feel sorry for the girls while at the same time wonder where they would all end up and how they would survive without each other. Unfortunately the introduction did not do much to excite me. I felt that it was a standard introduction and in order to really see if this book was any good, i would have to read it through. Being a history buff, i was interested to find out whether or not the author would tie in any significant events to help solidify the period in which the story was written. Sadly, there was no sign of this in either in the first chapter.
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Review 11 for Two Brides Too Many: A Novel - eBook Sisters of Cripple Creek Series #1
Kat and Nell Sinclair are characters you must love. And the new doctor in town is a real handsome gentleman. Excellently written. I'm looking forward to the next book in series.