Another great book by Kim! I have always loved her books and always will! ( )

4.5 stars.

Beneath a Prairie Moon by Kim Vogel Sawyer is an absolutely heartwarming historical romance with a gentle undercurrent of faith.

After her father is arrested and convicted of stealing from his business partners, Abigail Brantley loses not only her social standing, but her friends and fiancé. With no one to turn to for help, she becomes a mail order bride for Mrs. Helena Bingham. Unfortunately , none of her matches have worked out so when Helena receives sixteen requests for brides from a small town in Kansas, she decides she needs to meet the men in person. Both women journey to Spiveyville where Abigail is tasked with tutoring the men who have hearts of gold but need a little polish and tips for courting their brides. Mack Cleveland, one of the few men who did not request a bride, is sent to pick up the women. Mack has reason to be suspicious Helena's business is on the up and up so he is surprised when he looks forward to spending time with Abigail during her stay in town. Given the differences between them, is there any chance for a future together?

Abigail clings tightly to the teachings of her darling mother and she is unyielding when it comes to manners and social decorum. However, she does not seem to realize that what is proper behavior for her former life is not exactly a perfect fit for her new circumstances. Abigail holds tight to these last vestiges of her previous social standing and in doing so, she pushes everyone away. She has also lost her faith since she feels so abandoned by everyone else after her father's activities come to light. Now with one more failed match behind her, Abigail is scared that Helena will desert her as well.

Helena is a wonderfully wise, caring and compassionate woman. She wants nothing but the best for the women who are willing to become mail order brides. However, she is having a difficult time convincing Abigail that she needs to lower her expectations and be more willing to relax her strict adherence to social etiquette. Unwilling to cast her out, Helena instead comes up with a plan to put Abigail's social skills to good use.

Mack is a good hearted man who knows better than anyone how Abigail's fall from grace feels. He too experienced being judged by his peers for someone else's actions. His friends in Spiveyville helped him heal from these emotional wounds but he is not quite as trusting as his neighbors when it comes to mail order brides. So with a healthy skepticism, Mack is determined to make sure Helena and Abigail are not running a scam. Initially highly suspicious of the two women, Mack is very surprised by how much he enjoys spending time with Abigail. When the truth about her past comes to light, will Mack continue to give Abigail the benefit of the doubt?

Beneath a Prairie Moon is an absolutely charming novel with a superb cast of lovable characters. Mack and Helena are quite endearing right from the start but Abigail is initially quite frustrating and not overly appealing. The plot is engaging and Abigail's transformation occurs at a realistic pace. Spiveyville is a typical rough around the edges western town and Kim Vogel Sawyer does an outstanding job bringing the little town and its residents vibrantly to life. The spiritual element is perfectly woven into the storyline in a way that feels like a natural extension of the characters' lives. With just a hint of adventure, this wonderful historical novel comes to an uplifting and heartfelt conclusion.
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A charming opposites-attract tale, "Beneath a Prairie Moon", is a rewarding read for lovers of inspirational historical western romance. In the late 1800's, Spiveyville, Kansas is home to a passel of marriage-ready farmers impatient for the arrival of their mail-order brides. The lone dissenter is Mack Cleveland, who prefers to wait for divine intervention to deliver him the perfect wife. When the train from Massachusetts brings only the owner of the bride business, Mrs. Bingham, and her assistant, Abigail Grant, there's bound to be a lot of disappointed men-folk. Born into privilege, and raised to be accepted in society circles, Abigail lost all when her father's corrupt activities came to light. Forced now to use what she has left, the manners and propriety instilled by her mother, Abigail takes on the task of soothing the rough edges of the Kansas farmers and potential grooms. As Mack is drawn into helping the women and keeping peace in the town, plenty of sparks fly between him and Abigail. The learning process goes both ways, and an awareness and attraction grows between Abigail and Mack. Can faith and hope overcome the obstacles in their way and bring them the love of a lifetime? A recommended read for romance lovers from a talented storyteller.

Book Copy Gratis WaterBrook Publishing via Blogging for Books ( )

Cute but corny. I've never met a character that I disliked as much as Abigail. With that being said, the story was interesting enough to keep me reading, because I really wanted to know if the men of this rough town ever get their brides. I won't give any spoilers, but it was worth reading to the end. ( )

The author has offered us a different type of mail order brides, with many requests all going to the same town. Then she put a boulder in the way when the expected brides don’t show up in the prairie Kansas town, but only the owner and her helper arrive.
Now you can just picture a young woman, and she is not spoken for, arriving to teach a bunch of small town men and farmers some manners. Oh, to be a fly on wall with some of the classes she offers and these poor men are required to attend, that is if they want a bride.
There are some sad happening here where the sins of the father seem to come home when others put the blame on the child, so very unfair. Then there is child abuse, and putting such unfair blame on a child, the father of these boys is a bit unbalanced.
You will enjoy being in this town and most of the people here, of course, every town has those other folks! There is a bit of romance here, and one I thought would happen sure surprised me.
You will be in for a very enjoyable read!

I received this book through Net Galley and WaterBrook & Multnomah and was not required to give a positive review. ( )