Saturday Review of Books: Mona Hodgson's Too Rich for a Bride

I underestimated this book.

When I first started reading Too Rich for a Bride by Mona Hodgson, I thought it was just going to be a lightweight, fluffy romantic historial fiction read. You know, boy-and-girl-meet-cute, boy-and-girl-fall-in-love, and so on.

Instead, I discovered that this well-written little novel makes important points about greed, ambition, trust and doubt.

Ida Sinclair is driven by her desire to succeed as a businesswoman--an unusual and formidable goal for a woman in late 1890's Colorado.

Tucker Raines is an appealing character--a young preacher who just wants to pursue the ministry, but finds himself saddled with the struggling business of a father who is in ill health and seems to want nothing to do with him.

Ida and Tucker do meet kind of cute, but there are obstacles to them getting together--not the least of which is Ida's determination that men have absolutely no place in her life while she climbs the ladder to success.

I enjoyed this thoughtful, insightful story. It was the first time I had read anything by Mona Hodgson, and I came away with a genuine respect for her writing. I will definitely read more by her.

I recommend it, especially if you don't mind your historical romances infused with Christian faith.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Blogging for Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I'm participating today in Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books--click on the icon for more info!