A Husband for Margaret

Nebraska Historicals #4

by Ruth Ann Nordin

When Margaret Williams posted an ad for a husband, she expected Paul Connealy to arrive, but instead, his older brother, Joseph, came...and he brought four children with him. This light-hearted tender romance is the sequel to A Bride for Tom.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Westerns, Ebooks, Fiction

124 pages, Nook

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

What's to say? I write a lot. I read often. I sleep little. Once in awhile, I've been known to clean the house. A number of kids live in my house and there's this guy they call dad and I call husband. All in all, it's a pretty good life. :-)

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

At the end of the synopsis it says rated "R", but for some reason when I went to read it, I didn't see that part. It is rated "R" which is why I didn't get past the honeymoon night chapter. Seriously, I don't need details.

But even if it weren't for the "R" rating, I still felt that characters set in the 1800's wouldn't speak, or act the way they did in this story. The only thing that seemed old fashioned was that Margaret put an ad in a paper to find a husband, he showed up on a train and they got married. Other than that, it might as well have been written in modern times. Maybe the author could have had them get together from an online dating site instead? The dialog made no sense for the time period it was supposed to have taken place, which I found rather disturbing.

This is a don't read!

[Liza]

Boy this author sure does love to have her characters - male and female - roll their eyes. Just like the last book.

Note to self: scroll farther down before randomly selection book on Kindle list.

I get it; this is her style of writing. I just don't like it. There's no historical accuracy at all. None. Which is fine, but if so, why bother choosing to write historical romance? At least throw in a unicorn or something so it could be considered a fantasy novel and you could take whatever liberties you wanted with society and plot. :p

[Anne-claire · Rating 1 out of 5]

A quick read between two "really"boring lab experiments. To make it short, I absolutely disliked it. Because of the plausible factor. Apparently this story takes place in the late 1800s but the words used, the way the characters were speaking did not went accordingly and so it was very disturbing. For me, it was like swinging from the 1800s to todays date and vice versa.

[Bookish.Midnight. and. black · Rating 1 out of 5]

The beginning was interesting but the writing was awful: the dialogues seemed to be contemporary even though the plot is set in the 1800's'; also, the children acted like they were teenagers, not 6yo.
It was a short book but lost interest fast

[LadyCalico · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read A Bride for Tom and A Husband for Margaret on the same night as if they were one story, but I think I enjoyed Margaret's story just a tad more. I found the writing style a bit Mickey Mouse at first, but as the story and character development continued I got interested enough to look past it. What I loved about both these stories was the bold, strong-willed, straight forward personalities of both heroines--they made more sense and just seemed more capable of logical thought than your average stupid romance heroine. I hate novels that have to do with "secrets" and "misunderstandings" taken to ridiculous idiotic extremes, that spend 200 pages wheel-spinning just because the protagonists cannot communicate like semi-sane human beings and for no good reason just don't spit out what any normal person in those circumstances would say. These two women said what they meant and meant what they said and went straight after what they wanted--what a refreshing change from the usual hokey, contrived romance novel. I was pleased to see the next novel is about Dave--he worried me.

[SheLove2Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't very impressed with the story. The writing was fine. This is a marriage of convenience story but the heroine dealt more with the children and her husband's pseudo-stalker more than she did her husband. A disappointment.

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are just a little too good to be true. Everything works out smoothly and happily, the world as it should be not as it is. However it is a pleasant interlude without angst to read this series.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margaret Williams did the unthinkable and posted an ad for a mail order husband. Expecting one man to arrive she was justifiably shocked and even dismayed when instead his brother and brood of children came to town instead.

Joseph Connealy needed a wife and a mother for his sons, Margaret was the answer to more though than just a woman to help raise his children.

Convincing her of this fact almost fell through before the marriage and afterwards things fell into place, albeit not as neatly as either one hoped.

The short tale in this one was rife with mishaps, laughter, tears and even some well deserved revenge on one character that turned out surprisingly as a good deed in disguise.

[Cheesecake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Margaret and Joseph. This was a much less angsty read than I was expecting. Mostly because the MCs don't keep stuff from each other and Margaret is a 'doer' not a 'fretter'. Margaret lives in a small town and has given up on finding a husband there so she puts out and ad. Paul answers her ad and they decide from their letters to make a go of it. But tragedy strikes just before the train would have carried Paul to meet his bride to be. Paul's older brother, Joseph who has been a widower for over a year, decides to see if Margaret will take him instead. She isn't expecting him or his 4 rambunctious young boys and it isn't a pleasant surprise despite him being easy on the eyes. The author does a fair job of dealing with Joseph's previous wife. She isn't vilified or put down, but she is definitely in the past. Margaret and Joseph would have a much easier time as newly weds if it weren't for this strange stalker chick from his past showing up. But Margaret is no push over despite her young years. All in all a fun read that was different from the usual.

[Cathie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started out with a wonderful premise and a lot of spunk and ended up...well conventionally boring. Not worth the price of admission.

[Vikki Vaught · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Musings

The phrasing is entirely too modern for a book set in 1869. The story is all right with a great hero and I loved the children. They saved the story. Happy ☺reading 📚!

[Lady Tea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3 / 5

I won't give this less credit than it deserves, but I certainly can't give it more credit than it deserves, either. Ergo, I'll be giving it credit...somewhere in the middle.

It's Margaret's turn to get married, only unlike Jessica, she hasn't got as much luck with men. So, in a rather original move, she advertising for a mail-order husband, and is eagerly awaiting his arrival. When his brother shows up instead, with four boys in tow, it's clear that Margaret's love story will be going quite differently than she planned for, with four boys to be a mother to right from the get-go, as well as an unexpected groom!

The story was...well, neutral is the word I'd use for it, not really anything memorable. Still definitely a vibe of Ruth Ann Nordin and what I'm used to from her, but apart from a few sweet scenes and how Margaret manages the four boys--who, of course, are all loveable troublemakers, intentionally or otherwise--it...wasn't really much. Margaret and Joseph (her husband) get along fine, but we don't really get many scenes between them, and those that we do lack chemistry. Even their wedding night is described hardly at all, with as bland details as anything I've ever read, to be honest.

I do think that if only the author had picked her brain a bit more, she could've given us more detail--still don't know what either Margaret or Joseph look like, apart from the fact that he's handsome and she's...well, we don't really know what she looks like AT ALL--or come up with more of a conflict. It's only 130 pages long, and it is a Kindle freebie, so it's not like I'm expecting high quality but...STILL. Make it seem like more than just nothing, alright?

I may re-read someday because it's quick and just for the antics of the boys, but if you're looking for a romance, definitely look elsewhere, because that element is barely here.

[Karen Darling · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are too many people in this book. You have to read the series in order to understand who is who.

[Lesley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well it was free on Amazon. I needed to read a story that takes place in Nebraska for my 50 state book challenge, so that was accomplished.
The story says it is historical but I couldnt tell if it was 1800's or yesterday.
It has a cute message-someone for everyone!
Oh and its short (124 pages)
Didn't not like it but it also wasn't good!
OK is is!

[Christina, but with tea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a light, sweet enough read, but I think I would have enjoyed something a bit more substantial and angst-ridden given the characters and their situations. After his brother’s untimely death, a widower with four children offers to marry his brother’s fiancée, a woman his brother met through an ad in the newspaper. This, to me, opens the door to all sorts of possibilities. The story could deal with the hero’s loss of his brother and that of his first wife, of his marrying a total stranger and having to learn to live with and love another woman. It could deal with the heroine and her choice to marry a man she’s never met (something that she accepts all too readily, in my opinion), her struggle to get to know her new husband, etc. All sorts of possibilities are there in that situation – but the author chose instead to focus a little too simply on the two marrying, a comically jealous woman, and a group of busy-body woman who don’t see the heroine as a woman mature enough to care for four rowdy boys. It deals with appearances more than anything, I think. How the townsfolk see the heroine, how she deals with the boys and the jealous woman, the silly plan she concocts to get rid of said woman. The romance between hero and heroine doesn’t develop so much as appears. It wasn’t the focus of the story when it should have been. The husband is barely in the story, and he has little, if any, character development. He seems more a prop than anything. The four boys have more dialogue and interaction with the heroine than he does. In all, it’s a so-so read, convenient, contrived, and a little too inaccurate when it comes to historical details. You may enjoy it if you’re looking for a light diversion, but it really wasn’t to my taste.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character, Margaret, is a forthright and sensible young woman who has decided to advertise for a husband. We meet her when she’s preparing to meet the young man she’s been corresponding with, but quickly discover that his older brother Joseph has come instead… along with his four young children: all boys. I assume it's set towards the end of the 19th century.

I was a little irritated by the number of times people were described as rolling their eyes, a phrase which meant something rather different until the middle of the 20th century. Still, I quite liked the characters and was pleased when Margaret decided to accept Joseph; unfortunately, the author included several pages of detailed description of what happened on Margaret and Joseph’s wedding night; it added nothing, and I skimmed most of it.

The latter part of the book has a rather silly sub-plot involving some not particularly nice people, and it felt as if the author was poking fun at caricatures. I did continue to like Margaret, and was pleased that the book stands alone despite, apparently, being a sequel. Joseph and the small boys were likeable, too. But a lot of the writing was trite, the bedroom scene was unnecessary, and the ending really didn't work.

Available free for the Kindle, so worth downloading if you want something light and undemanding. It's a novella than a novel, and I read it in a couple of hours.

[Aerykah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, my computer decided to restart right in the middle of me typing a review for this book. So let's give this another go, shall we?

After reading the previous book in this series, A Bride for Tom (see my review here -- I would apply that review to this book as well), I realized that I also had this book on my kindle. The storyline sounded fun so, even though I did not like the previous book, I figured I'd give this one a shot. After all, I already had it and it's only 124 pages, right?

I didn't make it through those 124 pages. I started speed-reading around 1/4 of the way through and stopped reading entirely when I hit the wedding night scene, about half-way through. Isn't this book supposed to be Christian fiction?? That's how it was listed on Amazon. I expected a Christian -- or at least "clean" -- read, but that certainly isn't what I got. Yes, God is mentioned. No, there is no cursing-- that I saw. But that wedding night scene is definitely explicit.

I do not recommend this book. Especially to anyone looking for a good, clean, and/or Christian book.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The concept was good, it made me download the book. The rest was not that good.

What I liked: Joseph and his boys.

What I didn't like: Just about everything else. The setting was described badly, as it's supposed to be 1869, however, I think that year was picked as a way to set up the whole "mail order ___". Nothing felt historical here. It would have been better had the author picked the 40's or even modern day, and given the mail order setup a new twist. It could even be written in the future where mail order is how it's now done, like internet dating - anything but 1869, and then not following through on the period.

Debra. Her name is dropped and I'm thinking who? Then she shows up, and it's all awkward and weird, and I just didn't really follow it.

The countless times we're told how hard raising four kids is. Once is good.

In the end, I felt a little like I read a badly redone depiction of the movie Overboard, with Goldie Hawn.

[Heidi Kneale · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story started with a strong premise (mail-order groom dies so his brother takes his place), but the actual telling didn't work for me. The conflict didn't have enough tension and was resolved too easily. Debra Potter shows up out of nowhere (with only a brief mention by way of foreshadowing), and she is no threat, merely an annoyance, one that is easily gotten rid of.

I have issue with this being called a "historical", as the setting was extremely sparse, their dialogue was too modern, and their social structure is anachronistic. In the 19th Century, one did not call an older married woman by her first name. While Association Football was first played in 1893 (six years before this story takes place), the term "soccer" wasn't invented until the 1890's.

This storyline works better if imagined in the mid-20th Century.

Even so, the plotline was too tidy, too easy. This story really didn't work for me.

[Gigi Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another nice and easy short story to read. I enjoyed this sequel as much as the first one I read by this author, "A Bride for Tom."


Sometimes I like having something to read that's not so overly wordy, but a fun and a cute quick read, also it was a freebie for my NookColor E-book.


I found it an adorable storyline. But I chuckled at some of the language--the story was to be taking place in 1869 Nebraska, but she used the term "motel" instead of hotel. Some of the terms of her language were terms spoken today, but not in 1869 Nebraska, at least I don't think some of those terms were spoken then. But all-in-all I enjoyed the story anyway.


I liked this book so I think I will award it 4**** I realize this isn't a book for everyone, but this week-end it was just what I was in the mood to read.

[Jovanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Completely adorable! I must admit, before deciding to read this ebook I was expecting something along the lines to be dull. Although, thanks to my surprise, this ebook is well- enjoyed. Margaret sends an ad out for a husband and expects a man of a brother with four little boys. Arriving from the train station, Joseph explains to Margaret that he and his boys are desperate for a woman who can play both wife and mother. At the end of this ebook, one baby girl is included to the filled with four little boys family. Summarizing difficult positions Margaret had to suffer with a stalker named Debra. Margaret's new family of her own finds themselves no longer needing to suffer Debra's odd visits. And to sum up, happy ending. Suggested ebook. Alongside, if being impressed with this ebook, I recommend another ebook titled A Bride for Tom also by Ruth Anne Nordin's.

[Diana Hockley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel is, unfortunately, bogged down with an unbelievable plot. .

It was not advertised as a religious novel that I am aware of, so am at a loss to understand why some of the readers were shocked by the content. I was only shocked by the lack of research into the life and times depicted. The most glaring example of this is the inclusion of a motel in the 1800s. Motels didn't come into being until the 1950s if I remember rightly. Some of the terms used would certainly not have been current at the time in which this story is set.

These drawbacks are unfortunate, given the time and effort it takes to write any novel of any genre and the author is to be commended to having completed her manuscript.

[♡ Sassy ~ Amy ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

well. really kind of boring. reminded me of little house on the praire & nelly olsen stalking laura engal's wanting almonzo and their 4 kids.

That particular time period bores me. It was ok, but I think I could write a book like this myself. It was a walk through story with little or no deep feeling. Just cold aloof this is the way of the 1800 period America stuff.

Glad it was free. I stayed up until 1 am to finish it, otherwise I don't think I would have read the whole thing. It was a 98 page story.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 2nd book was much better than the 1st, more historic references than the first but still shy of my considering it a historic romance.

Margaret placed an ad for a Mail Order Husband. :)

Paul who responded to her ad died in a freak horse related accident. Paul's brother Joseph shows up in place of Paul, with 4 young boys.

Who names these kids? Doug, Bob, Ben and Charles. Bob? 1876, Bob?

Miss Porter was a riot.

I think the kids added to the charm of the book.

Cute, sweet book.

[Brynna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ummm... so this book has one quite inappropriate scene. I enjoyed the first book much more because of its inocense. (pardon my spelling) I also don't know how relevant this book is to the time period it takes place in. The setting and dialoge do not match up. I caution everyone who plans on reading this book, and do make note of the synopsis that the author gives of the book too.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think it was a fantastic perspective on why people do what they do and the struggles they have to endure becuase of certain circumstances. I enjoyed how it pulled my mind into taking the shoes of another person.

[Cristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very neat and tidy. I don't want to give anything away, but there are practically no conflicts in this book and the one that does exist gets resolved fairly easily. Nothing special here; just a quick read.

[Peter Anargirou · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading a few pages, I had no desire to continue.

[Christa Maurice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute plot but poor writing.

[Fanniny Moreno Zavaleta · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok! That's all I'm saying