Book Review - "Too Rich for a Bride" by Mona Hodgson

Readers first met the Sinclair sisters in “Two Bride Too Many,” which recounted the adventures of Kat and Nell Sinclair as they headed to Cripple Creek, Colorado as mail order brides. Ida Sinclair, the eldest of the four sisters, takes her turn center stage in “Too Rich for a Bride.” 

Ida finished business school back east. She received a rude awakening in a crude proposition from a trusted professor. Her disillusionment with the business world of the east coast leads her to join Kat and Nell in Cripple Creek. Unlike her sisters, Ida isn’t looking for marriage – she’s wants an opportunity to practice the business skills she learned and make her fortune. She aligns herself with maverick businesswoman Mollie O’Bryan and begins the process of acquiring wealth and influence in the booming mining town.

Some people in Cripple Creek questions Mollie’s business practices. Is it jealousy of her success or something more? Will Ida’s future be colored by her association with Mollie?

One of the townspeople Ida meets is an itinerant preacher-turned-iceman, Tucker Raines. He is everything Ida doesn’t want. He fights to save his family’s business as his father’s ill health creates more debt. He befriends ordinary people, rather than cultivating those who could benefit him. His sense of style leaves much to be desired. Handsome, well-dressed attorney Colin Wagner seems a more suitable companion for an up-and-coming business woman. 

Ida has as much to learn about life as she does about business, and Hodgson doesn’t hide the lessons in fancy clothes. We see Ida’s faults as well as her virtues and dreams. Through the pages of “Too Rich for a Bride,” we see sinfulness, redemption, restitution, forgiveness and hope. Hodgson reminds us of the boundless love of God in a framework of historic romance.

The reader will find actual historic figures scattered in the story, adding to the richness of the tale. The locale experiences its own growing pains even as the characters grow. Hodgson provides a delightful look at a raucous period in American history and shows us the people who lived through it. The book is fun to read and quite addictive. Set an alarm clock if you have an appointment to keep - you easily could lose all track of time once you begin reading.

You’ll find “Too Rich for a Bride” at Wal-Mart stores in its limited initial release. General release will come in 2011. If you love historic romance fiction, you won’t want to wait!

“Too Rich for A Bride” by Mona Hodgson

Published by WaterBrook Press

ISBN 978-0-307-72988-0