Sixteen Brides - Stephanie Grace Whitson

This is the first time I've read a book by this author.  I was a little wary at first, hoping that I wasn't going to have to try and keep track of sixteen individual stories.  I would have needed to take notes!  Fortunately, it wasn't like that at all and there's only really six widows to keep straight.

All six(teen) women are widows that have taken advantage of an opportunity to acquire 160 acres of land in Nebraska and homestead on the property.  They are a part of a society, but they soon learn that their escort has other ideas for them.  When they arrive in Nebraska, they are supposed to find husbands.  Some of the women are made aware of the situation and stay in a different town to find out what they wish to do.  They end up with four homesteads connected together with one house where the properties all come together.  They name their new home "Four Corners."

The women we follow are: Caroline, Ruth and her son Jackson, Hettie, Sally, Ella and her mother Zita.  Not everyone ends up being completely honest.  Hettie gets on the train with the other women, but her decision to stay with the others is a spur of the moment decision and she isn't quite sure what she's getting into at first.  Her knowledge of medicine comes in handy.

Ruth and Jackson have been asked to leave their home.  Ruth's sister wanted her to marry, but Ruth decided to be the master of her own fate and create a better future for her son.  She's one of the stronger characters and I liked her spirit.

Sally is an outspoken woman who isn't afraid to just speak her mind and what will be will be.  I don't feel we get much of her story and what we get ends up coming out with Caroline's.  Caroline is the "southern belle" of the group and the beauty.  She's trying to find her place in the world and find relationships that are more about who she is and not what she looks like.

Last, but not least, is Ella.  Her mother pops up here and there, but it's really about Ella. Not the traditional beauty, she has had her faults pounded into her by her husband.  She doesn't want to remember what he told her, but she hears his voice all the time. She covers up the pain by work and more work.

Amazingly enough, all of the main women (minus Ella's mother) end up with a love interest. You could see it coming, but I was a little curious at the end wondering what exactly would happen to Four Corners.  I suppose it is left to the imagination.  I really did enjoy the story and although I had some trouble keeping the women straight for the first part of the book, the author did a great job giving me little reminders on who was who.

This author has written many books including a recent series called The Quilt Chronicles. I really enjoyed this book, but I didn't place all of her other books on my watch list.  After browsing through some of the titles, I ended up placing A Claim of Her Own and A Most Unsuitable Match on my list.  I look forward to reading more from this author.  Good Book!