The Left Behind Bride: Nova Scotia

by Mahrie Reid

Maggie Conrad’s husband of ten days is sent overseas in WW1 and never comes home. A second suitor is lost at sea in Nova Scotia’s August Gale. Turning thirty, and on her own, she resolves to make a life for her herself and her younger brother, Ivan. Against her wishes, Ivan goes to work for the rum runners and operates a surf boat bringing shipments ashore. When war-veteran and Prohibition Preventative agent, John Murdock, arrives undercover in the area he is referred to Maggie for room and board. With a rum runner and a man she suspects is a policeman living under her roof, Maggie must juggle law and justice, family loyalties and her growing attraction to John as she decides whether marriage might be in the cards for her after all.

Genres: Historical Fiction

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 29, 2018

Reviews

[ATLANTIC BOOK REVIEWS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tea in my Nova Scotia teacup. Nova Scotia tartan pillow behind my back. Comfy chair. The perfect recipe for settling in and journeying back in time to my beloved Nova Scotia so vividly written in The Left Behind Bride. Book #10 in the Canadian Historical Brides Collection. Thank you Mahrie for this lovely book. Thank you for your attention to detail and your wonderful story. Loved it from start to finish.

[James Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice cozy read about a determined widow to make it on her own in the 1920's Nova Scotia. Many nice historical touches, providing realism to the story. Likeable characters, despite their flaws and circumstances they get themselves into.

[B.C. Deeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

In THE LEFT-BEHIND BRIDE, author Mahrie G. Reid does a superlative job in capturing the frustrations, hardships and courage of women who lost their men in WW1 while also gaining confidence in their own abilities to work outside the boundaries of household chores and childrearing.
When war and the sea steal two chances at love, Maggie Conrad Benson knows she has to rely on her own strength to support herself and her younger brother, but society in 1920s Nova Scotia is not supportive of independent women and her efforts are thwarted at every turn.
The author deftly captures the flavor of the prohibition era, maritime culture and the outport traditions of her setting and honors this generation of resilient women on the cusp of personhood. Maggie’s story rings true as I found myself reminded of my own grandmother’s ‘sock money’ tucked away in secret so that she wouldn’t be left penniless in an emergency. This is a book for fans of Canadiana, women’s studies or just a great yarn about rum runners and the high seas! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

[SusanwithaGoodBook · Rating 3 out of 5]

This installment in the Canadian Historical Brides series is set in the 1920s, which was a bit of a different time period than any of the others I've read so far. This is the story of a young lady who lost both a husband and a fiancé to different circumstances. As the book begins, she also loses her father, which forces her to take care of herself and her younger brother. I generally enjoy the way these books weave the history of the time and place with a personal story to make history come to life, but they often have a bit too much of a forced modern perspective for my taste, and this one was no different. They aren't "great literature" by any means, but they're not bad stories. I'll give this one an "it was fine" review.

[Suzanne Montigny · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I got to the end of this novel, I felt like I had lost my best friend. I was so engrossed in Maggie's problems, trying to create a life for herself and her brother after her father died, battling the bank who threatened to foreclose on her bank loan, and trying to be recognized as a person in a time when women had few rights. And then there's JM, the handsome school teacher who boards at her home. Who is he and where does he go at night? Anyway, I just loved it. I am definitely going to check out more of Mahrie Reid's books. Just way too good.

[Desiree Bukowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had planned to read the novel over the course of a few evenings once I managed to get the children into bed. I sat down at the computer with a glass of wine one evening and just couldn't find a good place to stop reading. I was up far too late for a work night and obviously enjoyed the novel! I love Maggie. She is strong, determined, creative, resourceful....the list goes on..

[A.M. Westerling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Book 10 in the Canadian Historical Bride Collection put out by BWL Publishing in honor of Canada's 150th birthday. The author has done a wonderful job of portraying the time period and I feel as if I'm living Maggie's life in the 1920's. Great characters make for an engaging read. This book is suitable for all ages.

[Gaynor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell straight into the pages of The Left Behind Bride, landing in 1929 Nova Scotia right beside Maggie, the central and endearing character.

I enjoyed the novel for it's setting and historical value, and the story was made all the more special with the knowledge that it was inspired by the author's own mother.

[Laurie Hodges · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Left-Behind Bride is the story about a woman who by circumstances, war and the dangers of fishing-for-a-living is destined to always be the bridesmaid but never the bride. Determined not to become the impoverished spinster that the legalities and social mores of the times destined her for, she fights to live as financially independent and morally upright as she can.

Life for women in the 1920's was socially and legally restricted, but Maggie, 'The Left Behind Bride' was able to keep one step ahead of the men who wanted to take her inheritance and indenture her brother to a hard life on the fishing boats.

Author Mahrie G. Reid writes a great novel incorporating the beauty, nuances and realities of life in a rural Nova Scotia fishing community.

I give this book and the author two thumbs up!