Brigham's Brides

by D.W. Plato, Kimberly Hunt (Editor), Dustin Peterson (Illustrator)

For the first sister-wives of the early LDS Church, polygamy was just the beginning—the real story is survival. Amid the harsh beauty of the Mississippi River in the 1840s and the rising tide of religious fervor, two women bound by faith question everything they’ve been taught.

Louisa—young and still clinging to dreams of love and independence, believes she is destined to marry Prophet Joseph Smith. As she grapples with her place in a faith that demands silence and sacrifice, she finds an unexpected ally in Mary Ann.

Mary Ann—devout and dutiful, accepts the sacred principle of plural marriage. For years, she has borne the weight of obedience, striving to find peace in the shadow of her husband Brigham Young’s growing household.

Together, the two women navigate a delicate dance of trust, jealousy, and defiance. But beyond the quiet flats and guarded settlements, danger looms. Tensions with fueled by anti-Mormon sentiment are rising, and violence brews at the borders of their fragile community.

Brigham’s Brides is a powerful tale of friendship, resistance, and the unyielding pursuit of truth in a world where obedience was the highest virtue—and rebellion the gravest sin. Perfect for readers of Kristin Hannah and Sue Monk Kidd, this novel sheds light on a hidden chapter of American history through the eyes of two unforgettable heroines.

Genres: Historical Fiction

360 pages, Paperback

Published July 24, 2025

About the author

Living the dream in the land of enchantment, D.W. Plato is an award winning author currently residing in South Valley, Albuquerque.
Writing is her favorite pasttime followed by traveling, sewing, cooking or spending time with her husband and their three mutt rescues. Her titles vary from Mrs. to Mama, Sis, Cuz, Grandma and Tia. Family means the world to her.

D.W has five books available on Audible, iTunes, Amazon, Kindle or linked from her author website, DWPlato.com (want autographed copies? just ask)
Brigham's Brides is her most recent release (2025) a historical fiction novel told from the first polyagmist wives of the early LDS church.
The Dragon from Guangzhou; is DW's COVID baby. It's about the life and times of the notorious pirate Ching Shih (2021) who DW calls Mogu. A story of an unwanted daughter who makes the most of a series of bad situations.
The Sinners' Club (2016) Her first book baby is a little romance, a little LGBT. A little dogma. Atheist boy meets Mormon girl.
Glue (2017) New Apple Book Awards Official Selection Winner'18 was based loosely on some of DW real life experiences (a lot of trigger warnings, addiction, love, sex, betrayal ADULT CONTENT-over 18!)
Trials & Tribulations of Modesty Greene; A fictional book about Harriet Tubman's historical legacy (2018) Is of a story of Araminta Ross's grandmother who was kidnapped from Senagambia and sold into slaverly in Maryland. (the Audible on this one is fantastic!) New Apple Book Awards Official Selection Winner'18 plus Readers' Favorite Annual Writing Contest Bronze Winner in the audio book category, 2019


She's on all the social media sites so give her a follow and she'll follow you back.

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an interesting take on a rather controversial subject. I liked that it included some of the known members of the LDS community & gave a good overview as to the history behind the church. I was not familiar with the LDS church except a few names & that polygamy was practiced at a some point, so it definitely made me want to read more non-fiction on this subject.
D.W.’s characters were well rounded & I liked that they too had mixed feelings regarding a rather drastic change in their religious practices. It gave them depth & helped me identify with them.

[RCC · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was well written & took on a very complex subject. I loved that D.W. looked at how polygamy at the time could be a good and bad thing for a community.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book as part of a deal offered on line, because I've been increasingly curious about the history of Mormons, having watched the incredible American Primeval, and my somewhat limited knowledge of this controversial history. It sat for a long time on my Kindle, as I imagined it might be dry and a bit boring; instead, I barely put it down, once I started. D.W. Plato made the story much more interesting by using actual characters (her details are researched and fairly well fleshed out), and alternating chapters between the two main women in the lives of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young (the initial founders of the Saints/Mormons)––Mary Ann Angell Young and Louisa Bealman. To avoid spoilers, I'm choosing not to detail their arcs here.

I found the title is a bit misleading, I feel, as this story seems more about Joseph Smith than Brigham Young; Young shows up much later in the book, and definitely makes an impression, but Joseph Smith is far more fleshed out throughout the story. Both men, in my opinion, are deeply flawed and while Plato doesn't "preach," she paints both men in highly questionable details, by present or past perspectives. The women are really the stars of this book, and Plato does a good job of fleshing out the incredible hardships of surviving that period of history in this country, and the heroic strength it took to survive, particularly as women. I found this story very interesting, and written in a way that brought it all to vivid life.
My two main criticisms are that the first 2/3s of this story are much more fleshed out and detailed, and the final 1/3 felt rushed. Just as Smith and Young are coming into deeper view, the story rushes along and I was left needing to research details. The other observation is that there are a lot of typos in this book; it really needed better editing, and as a reader I found this distracting. I would have given this 3.5 stars if GoodReads made that easier, but, overall it was interesting and meaty read.