What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mrs. Tabor
The laws of survival always trump the rules of etiquette.
Every age has its iconic blonde bombshell. In the 1880s, it's Baby Doe, America's original gold digger. At a time when genteel ladies could politely starve to death, Baby Doe seeks her fortune the best way she knows how-marrying a rich man. She joins the rush to the Colorado silver bonanza and meets millionaire mine owner Horace Tabor. Baby Doe enjoys the high life as his paramour, but Tabor's wife and his business manager plot to get rid of the new girl. Baby Doe, however, has schemes of her own to upend Horace's old relationships and become the one and only Mrs. Tabor.
But fate sweeps in and avalanches Baby Doe's dreams. What price will she pay for becoming The Mrs. Tabor?
Based on a true story, The Mrs. Tabor seduces with a scandalous tale of love and fortunes found and lost.
* 2021 Winner Gold Medal Western Regional Fiction, Independent Publishers Awards
* 2021 Winner Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award, Best First Western Novel
* 2021 Winner National Indie Excellence Award, Regional Fiction: West
* 2021 CIBA Finalist for the LARAMIE Book Awards for Best Americana & Western Fiction
* 2021 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist
Every age has its iconic blonde bombshell. In the 1880s, it's Baby Doe, America's original gold digger. At a time when genteel ladies could politely starve to death, Baby Doe seeks her fortune the best way she knows how-marrying a rich man. She joins the rush to the Colorado silver bonanza and meets millionaire mine owner Horace Tabor. Baby Doe enjoys the high life as his paramour, but Tabor's wife and his business manager plot to get rid of the new girl. Baby Doe, however, has schemes of her own to upend Horace's old relationships and become the one and only Mrs. Tabor.
But fate sweeps in and avalanches Baby Doe's dreams. What price will she pay for becoming The Mrs. Tabor?
Based on a true story, The Mrs. Tabor seduces with a scandalous tale of love and fortunes found and lost.
* 2021 Winner Gold Medal Western Regional Fiction, Independent Publishers Awards
* 2021 Winner Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award, Best First Western Novel
* 2021 Winner National Indie Excellence Award, Regional Fiction: West
* 2021 CIBA Finalist for the LARAMIE Book Awards for Best Americana & Western Fiction
* 2021 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist
384 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 21, 2021
79 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Kimberly Burns
2 books21 followersKimberly Burns grew up in Colorado hearing stories about the colorful characters of the Old West. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Colorado and a master’s degree from the University of Hartford. She spent several years in the corporate world writing boring training materials while telling exciting stories of the Old West to her East Coast friends. The Mrs. Tabor is her debut novel and she is delighted that Baby Doe’s story won a Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award for Best New Novel, a National Indie Excellence Award, and received a gold medal for best regional fiction from the Independent Publishers Association. The Mrs. Tabor was also a Finalist for the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year and the LARAMIE Award for Americana and Western Fiction. She lives with her husband in Leesburg, VA.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 31, 2022
A Reviewer's Choice
Being part of a review team means getting to try books we wouldn’t ordinarily pick up and I picked this up not so much because of the subject matter but because the opening pages sang to me. The author is clearly enjoying herself and in fact, the whole book is joyous. It’s deliciously wry, and there is a distinct author’s voice/style of narrative: it’s a perfect mixture of show AND tell, and this means the story whizzes along. The pace suits Baby Doe’s 'can do, will do' attitude. The story is often delivered with the author's tongue firmly in cheek, with Ms Burns showing us what the characters themselves can’t see, and there is a lot of enjoyable irony there.
There were several moments where I couldn’t help but smile as the characters remained gloriously lacking in self-awareness. There were also moments of real poignancy and Baby’s losses were hard to bear. Did she learn from her mistakes? I’m not so sure, but that wasn’t Baby’s style and I’m glad that she remained true to her incorrigible self.
The detailed description of the booming mining towns, and their deterioration, was skilfully depicted, as was the behaviour of Baby’s enemies who displayed all their haughty superiority in grand style. There is also a more serious theme and that concerns the choices available to women at this time. Baby may be at times delusional but she's never wrong when she says that there are limited ways in which women can get by in the world, and she never apologises for the routes she's taken. Neither does she ever give way to self-pity. All in all, great fun and a rollicking good read.
I must add that this is a debut novel and Discovering Diamonds reviewed an early edition where the narrative was, unfortunately, marred by a number of typos and grammatical errors, (and I also questioned whether it was Bill Cody who called himself 'Wild' as I think that was Bill Hickok?). We therefore strongly suggested a thorough re-edit and reprint - and are delighted that Ms Burns took our advice, re-edited and republished. Unable to re-read the new text (time limitations and newly submitted books to review) we hope and are confident that this new edition is now improved to the standard it deserves.
The Mrs Tabor is a great page-turner of a story told with flair, and so we have awarded it the accolade of Reviewer's Choice because - even with the original errors - it was still a wonderful read.
Ms Burns is definitely an author to watch out for.
Originally reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
Being part of a review team means getting to try books we wouldn’t ordinarily pick up and I picked this up not so much because of the subject matter but because the opening pages sang to me. The author is clearly enjoying herself and in fact, the whole book is joyous. It’s deliciously wry, and there is a distinct author’s voice/style of narrative: it’s a perfect mixture of show AND tell, and this means the story whizzes along. The pace suits Baby Doe’s 'can do, will do' attitude. The story is often delivered with the author's tongue firmly in cheek, with Ms Burns showing us what the characters themselves can’t see, and there is a lot of enjoyable irony there.
There were several moments where I couldn’t help but smile as the characters remained gloriously lacking in self-awareness. There were also moments of real poignancy and Baby’s losses were hard to bear. Did she learn from her mistakes? I’m not so sure, but that wasn’t Baby’s style and I’m glad that she remained true to her incorrigible self.
The detailed description of the booming mining towns, and their deterioration, was skilfully depicted, as was the behaviour of Baby’s enemies who displayed all their haughty superiority in grand style. There is also a more serious theme and that concerns the choices available to women at this time. Baby may be at times delusional but she's never wrong when she says that there are limited ways in which women can get by in the world, and she never apologises for the routes she's taken. Neither does she ever give way to self-pity. All in all, great fun and a rollicking good read.
I must add that this is a debut novel and Discovering Diamonds reviewed an early edition where the narrative was, unfortunately, marred by a number of typos and grammatical errors, (and I also questioned whether it was Bill Cody who called himself 'Wild' as I think that was Bill Hickok?). We therefore strongly suggested a thorough re-edit and reprint - and are delighted that Ms Burns took our advice, re-edited and republished. Unable to re-read the new text (time limitations and newly submitted books to review) we hope and are confident that this new edition is now improved to the standard it deserves.
The Mrs Tabor is a great page-turner of a story told with flair, and so we have awarded it the accolade of Reviewer's Choice because - even with the original errors - it was still a wonderful read.
Ms Burns is definitely an author to watch out for.
Originally reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
March 9, 2022
A lively and entertaining story set in the height of the Colorado Gold Rush. Lizzie McCourt thought she was marrying into good fortune when she snagged Harvey Doe, but her new husband is not as eager as she is to move out to rough and tumble Colorado and make themselves rich in the silver mines. Petite and energetic, she learns the ropes of mining and earns the nickname Baby Doe. Although her husband is soon out of the picture, she keeps the name and sets her sights on one of the richest men in the region, Horace Tabor. What starts out as a scheme develops into a true relationship and Baby Doe surprises herself with her true affection for Horace. But striking it rich, spending fortunes, and becoming a major philanthropist will not buy Baby a place in society or the respect of the other wives.
There are times when the reader might wonder what motivates Baby, what deeper emotions stir her restless activity, how she decides on her actions. While we root for her, we might also want to shake her a little, get her to confront people, urge her to reign in her excesses just a bit. Her success in pushing out Tabor's very competent first wife, who the author treats in turn both sympathetically and harshly, might occasionally put the reader on the side of the society women who snub her.
Based on real people and events, this novel offers a fascinating glimpse of a dynamic time in US history and made me always eager to get back to the next chapter.
There are times when the reader might wonder what motivates Baby, what deeper emotions stir her restless activity, how she decides on her actions. While we root for her, we might also want to shake her a little, get her to confront people, urge her to reign in her excesses just a bit. Her success in pushing out Tabor's very competent first wife, who the author treats in turn both sympathetically and harshly, might occasionally put the reader on the side of the society women who snub her.
Based on real people and events, this novel offers a fascinating glimpse of a dynamic time in US history and made me always eager to get back to the next chapter.
March 4, 2022
Scintillating
Well written story about Baby Doe, a real pioneering woman of the silver mining era in Colorado. Wonderful characters, some real and some imagined by the author, but all interwoven into a very interesting story.
Well written story about Baby Doe, a real pioneering woman of the silver mining era in Colorado. Wonderful characters, some real and some imagined by the author, but all interwoven into a very interesting story.
February 26, 2022
Well written and researched story about Baby Doe Tabor who with her looks and ambition managed to snag a millionaire through scandal and divorce. Beginning as the wife of a miner who was unsuccessful, following divorce, she managed to attract the richest man in CO. Although she was given everything material, she was never able to become accepted in Denver society. Unfortunately everything fell apart during the 1890s collapse where after her husband died and her dreams of striking a mother lode to compensate never manifested. Excellent story of redemption will maintain your interest from beginning to end.
November 7, 2021
This novel was so interesting to read! Baby Doe was quite the gold digger and she wasn’t afraid that people knew it and talked about it, she knew what she wanted and she would do anything it took to get that- and that was to marry Horace Tabor and become The Mrs. Tabor, and wanted to be the one and only.
Elizabeth thought she was going to get it all, including all the gold and silver the mines in Colorado were willing to part with. Marrying Harvey Doe she thought she was be marrying into riches, as a wedding gift they were given a mine out west to make a go at. Lizzie couldn’t wait to get out there and strike it right, although her new husband had other plans and no drive like his father and Lizzie quickly found out she’d have to do things on her own and that she did, even building herself into her new nickname Baby Doe.
Baby Doe wasn’t afraid of being in a man’s world and acting like one when she needed to. Finding a way to get out of her marriage and hearing rumors of the ever rich Tabor’s in Leadville she was going to play her cards right to get into that social circle. It did not take her long and soon she was the new mistress of Horace Tabor as as they say, the rest is history from there.
Baby Doe was quite the character for her time, and it was a battle to become Horace’s wife and even that did not come without scandal but she was determined to become that, and she did. She led a very scandalous but yet fascinating life. Thank you to the author for the free book, and HFVBT for the invite. I really enjoyed reading about the Tabor’s and Baby Doe’s life.
Elizabeth thought she was going to get it all, including all the gold and silver the mines in Colorado were willing to part with. Marrying Harvey Doe she thought she was be marrying into riches, as a wedding gift they were given a mine out west to make a go at. Lizzie couldn’t wait to get out there and strike it right, although her new husband had other plans and no drive like his father and Lizzie quickly found out she’d have to do things on her own and that she did, even building herself into her new nickname Baby Doe.
Baby Doe wasn’t afraid of being in a man’s world and acting like one when she needed to. Finding a way to get out of her marriage and hearing rumors of the ever rich Tabor’s in Leadville she was going to play her cards right to get into that social circle. It did not take her long and soon she was the new mistress of Horace Tabor as as they say, the rest is history from there.
Baby Doe was quite the character for her time, and it was a battle to become Horace’s wife and even that did not come without scandal but she was determined to become that, and she did. She led a very scandalous but yet fascinating life. Thank you to the author for the free book, and HFVBT for the invite. I really enjoyed reading about the Tabor’s and Baby Doe’s life.
November 18, 2021
So who is "The" Mrs. Tabor? If the terms supportive, formidable, determined, and committed to their marriage are used one still wouldn't be sure. The author coaxes the reader along throughout the entirety of the book to assist in determining who it is. Ultimately the answer is Baby Doe Tabor. Burns does several things with the plot that are worth noting. She doesn't just offer a chronological look at any of the characters' lives. Burns provides glimpses into each person's identity, be it good or bad, and how those individual identities form the path for each of the others. This book gives modern readers a passing glance at boom towns and the cultural development of Denver while also shining light on the forgotten Horace Tabor and his seemingly femme fatale second wife Baby Doe.
Baby Doe herself led just as colorful of a life before and after her marriage to Horace as she did during her marriage. Her beauty provided her with opportunities while also opening her up to scorn. In attempting to better her life and achieve financial security, Baby Doe made choices that were not accepted by society. As a result, Baby Doe had to constantly battle to be acknowledged. Her behavior ultimately led to being dismissed by her own family and living a life of solitude and poverty.
I received a copy of this book via the publisher in collaboration with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.
Baby Doe herself led just as colorful of a life before and after her marriage to Horace as she did during her marriage. Her beauty provided her with opportunities while also opening her up to scorn. In attempting to better her life and achieve financial security, Baby Doe made choices that were not accepted by society. As a result, Baby Doe had to constantly battle to be acknowledged. Her behavior ultimately led to being dismissed by her own family and living a life of solitude and poverty.
I received a copy of this book via the publisher in collaboration with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.
November 8, 2021
Fascinating story of a real Colorado legend. I devoured this book, and couldn’t get enough of the story of Baby Doe Tabor. I highly recommend this for anyone who loves historical fiction, and wants to know more about a woman with gumption, willing to stop at nothing to achieve her goals. I am anxiously awaiting Ms. Burns’ next book. Her writing style really brought the characters to life for me, especially Baby Doe. I have heard it said that well-behaved women rarely make history, and The Mrs. Tabor is no exception. Don’t miss this excellent read.
November 15, 2021
The Mrs. Tabor
A delightful story that draws you in immediately. The characters come to life and the author does a great job of describing them, that you can picture each one. Very well written!
A delightful story that draws you in immediately. The characters come to life and the author does a great job of describing them, that you can picture each one. Very well written!
October 11, 2022
I lived in Colorado while growing up and as a family we would go to all the places one reads about. I remember going to Leadville, my Mom bought a book about Baby Doe which I can't tell you how many times I've read it over the years. As soon as I saw came across this book I had to get it and read it. This one is much more in depth than the other one but still just as good. My opinion is Baby Doe was ahead of her times because she had to be. Good bad or in different she did what she had to do to survive and nobody can fault her for that one.
October 1, 2022
I picked up this book because it was written by a friend, but I couldn’t put it down because of the wonderful storytelling and fabulous characters. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and Kim does an incredible job of telling the story of Baby Doe. I found myself waking up at night and wanting to continue reading, even though it was 3am. Fabulous book and the story will definitely stay with me.
December 9, 2022
Fun and entertaining read based on a fascinating real-life character, Baby Doe Tabor. Take a trip back in to the world of Colorado gold and silver discoveries, and the ever widening gap between the extremes of wealth and the struggles of the laboring class. I had never heard of Baby Doe before, and it's been fun learning more about her. What a fascinating life and what a great debut novel. Looking forward to more from Ms. Burns.
August 16, 2024
While I read a lot I do not read much historical fiction but was recommended this book by a friend. The story was well written, captivating and the attention to detail on the research is amazing. I could not put it down. This one will keep you captivated and up till all hours! I loved it so much I bought copies for many friends for the holidays!
December 26, 2021
Absolutely loved this book - Kim is an excellent story teller and I loved learning more about the ambitious and fierce Baby Doe and her life in the West!
March 28, 2022
Interesting story - I rated it a 3.5. Based on a real life character, the story was good and the writing good but not great. I look forward to the authors next book.
May 3, 2022
Fun and fascinating look at an interesting historical figure. The author did a great job of describing Baby Doe's life.
June 29, 2022
One heck of a debut novel
Great story of a woman that I nothing about. You will either love her or hate her but you have to give her credit for her street smarts and her ability to be herself. She definitely made mistakes in her life but always with one goal in mind. I was surprised to learn this was the authors first book - well done!
Great story of a woman that I nothing about. You will either love her or hate her but you have to give her credit for her street smarts and her ability to be herself. She definitely made mistakes in her life but always with one goal in mind. I was surprised to learn this was the authors first book - well done!
July 6, 2022
I liked this one. Based on a true story. Shows how women were treated as the west was settled.
March 22, 2023
LOVED reading about Mrs. Tabor!!I enjoyed everything about this debut novel: the research, the writing, the characters, the story--I often felt that I was walking the same trails with Mrs. Tabor.
June 14, 2024
Very enlightening
September 13, 2024
Well written historical fiction about a strong and determined woman. I enjoyed this book and will read others by this author.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews