Reviews

Marrying Off Morgan McBride by Amy Barry

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gmay11's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.5

crazyylizard's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

lynguy1's review against another edition

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4.0

Marrying Off Morgan McBride by Amy Barry is a historical romance that combines romance and humor in a historical western setting. It’s 1887 in Buck’s Creek, Montana where Junebug lives with her four older brothers: Morgan, Kit, Beau, and Jonah as well as Kit’s wife. The four brothers believe everything is fine, but Junebug is tired of cleaning, cooking, mending, and the animals. She decides she needs help and that help should be a wife for one of the brothers. In this sequel, the focus is on Morgan McBride, the oldest of the siblings. He’s been taking care of the family since their mother died and father left. He longs to roam the trail again. Epiphany Hopgood seems to be looking at spinsterhood when she answers an ad for a mail-order bride. However, when she and her grandmother show up on Buck’s Creek, she finds Morgan isn’t what she expected. In fact, he doesn’t even want to be a husband.

The characterization was terrific in this novel. The McBride family, Epiphany, and Granny Colfax come alive on the pages, as do a few of the tertiary characters. Often their natures are shown using action versus purely through explanatory descriptions. Morgan and Epiphany are dynamic characters responding to the events as they unfolded. Both experienced changes in their outlooks. However, Junebug was the highlight character of the book for me. She’s fifteen and has been raised by her brothers with little exposure to other women.

While the plot is straightforward, the book is full of laugh-out-loud humor as well as some somber and emotional moments with characters. I moved effortlessly through the story as hidden emotions and feelings are revealed. Both Morgan and Epiphany come to terms with things that have been kept quiet. The world-building was great and the author captured the cultural lifestyles and portrayed them well.

While I didn’t learn anything new from a historical point, this story had some profound themes imbedded in it that added to its depths. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and spending time with the McBride family again.

Overall, this was an entertaining, heartwarming, and funny novel. It has a great setting and extraordinary characters. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Berkley Publishing Group and Amy Barry provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for May 30, 2023.