An Unseemly Wife (Book Review & #Giveaway)

Welcome to today's stop on the An Unseemly Wife blog tour!  Just so you know, I received a copy of this book, at no cost to me, for review purposes.  At the bottom of this post you'll find a chance to win a copy of your own.

An Unseemly Wife, new from author E.B. Moore, tells the story of an Amish woman, Ruth, and her family.  She is happy living in her Lancaster, Pennsylvania, community, but her husband Aaron decides that they should move west to Idaho.  The promise of free land--more land to pass on to their sons--is irresistible to him.

Here's the publisher's teaser:

Not all journeys come to an end.... 1867. Ruth Holtz has more blessings than she can count—a loving husband, an abundant farm, beautiful children, and the warm embrace of the Amish community. Then, the English arrive, spreading incredible stories of free land in the West and inspiring her husband to dream of a new life in Idaho. Breaking the rules of their Order, Ruth’s husband packs up his pregnant wife and their four children and joins a wagon train heading west. Though Ruth is determined to keep separate from the English, as stricture demands, the harrowing journey soon compels her to accept help from two unlikely allies: Hortence, the preacher’s wife, and the tomboyish, teasing Sadie. But as these new friendships lead to betrayal, what started as a quest for a brighter future ends with Ruth making unthinkable sacrifices, risking faith and family, and transforming into a woman she never imagined she’d become…. 

Most of An Unseemly Wife is about the challenges Ruth faces:  disagreement with her husband over moving west, struggles during the trip, tentative friendships and betrayal.  It's definitely not a light and fluffy read.  I still enjoyed reading it.

My only negative is about the ending.  Just as the story seemed to be reaching some sort of resolution, it abruptly ended.  Many loose threads remained.  One of the discussion questions is something like, "What do you think will happen next?"  Part of the Q&A with the author suggests, to me at least, that no sequel is forthcoming.  I found this frustrating.  I don't want to imagine the future for Ruth and her family; I want to know!

Links for more information:

• Author E.B. Moore on Facebook
• An Unseemly Wife on Amazon.com (affiliate link *)
• An Unseemly Wife on Amazon.com (not an affiliate link)

* If you click on my Amazon.com affiliate link and complete a purchase, I will receive a small commission.  Thanks for supporting my blog!

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