A review by tibbarasden
The Husband Tree by Mary Connealy

lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

I was excited to have Belle the focus of this book after reading the first in the series. I really enjoyed the cattle drive aspect of this one. However, I really don't like how the author portrayed Belle. Being historical and Christian fiction I understand there is a certain gender role women fulfill. It was really frustrating seeing the strong no-nonsense woman Belle was in the first alternating between blaming herself for the failures of her previous husbands to being subservient to Silas. The author did sort of bring back her strong-willed nature towards the end, but it came across insincere. There was a way to fulfill the gender role while still keeping the strength of Belle intact. Also, Silas choices at the end seemed inconsistent with the experienced cattleman from the drive. It really felt like it was done just to create more conflict. Lindsay's part of the story also felt inconsistent to her behavior originally, along with Belle and Sila's role. I think with a little more detail that whole part of the story could have seemed more realistic. Overall it was still a fun read, but did leave me a bit disappointed.