True Sisters (Sandra Dallas)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library as an audio version.

I actually had thought about reading this book years ago, but decided not to after seeing some reviews saying it wasn't a fair depiction of polygamy or Mormon women. With my new perspective, I decided to go ahead and read it.

It was interesting to find out that Sandra Dallas lived in Utah for a few years as Presbyterian teenager. Kinda cool that she decided to write a book about Mormon pioneers. She did a ton of research, including reading diaries and speaking with LDS historians, as well as visiting historical spots along the trail. 

I thought she was fair to both the faith of the pioneers and the subject of polygamy and how it affected both men and women. I doubt the struggles of the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies were as faith-promoting as the Church likes to paint it, and I'm very certain polygamy wasn't as rosy as they'd like us to think. Sandra did a great job balancing those things and didn't push one viewpoint or the other.

This is a fiction book, so the characters aren't real. The last few paragraphs of the epilogue don't describe the way it really went down for most polygamists, I don't think, but I loved the very last line. Just that line bumped the book from three stars to four for me. *insert fist bump*

I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

Clean. There is some implication of married "relations," and there are some descriptions of death and physical injuries and hardships the pioneers experienced on the trail.

The Secrets of Midwives (Sally Hepworth)

Why I have this book: I bought the Kindle edition at one point, then borrowed the audio version. I actually ended up returning the audio version because it wasn't great... the narrator seemed to give them all accents, and that made it confusing since it was set in Rhode Island.

I probably would have gone with about 3.5 stars if that had been an option, but since you can only give whole stars, I rounded up to four. I did really like it, even though I'm not sure every bit was super realistic. There were also a couple of small editing issues, including that it had a more British/Australian feel than American. There was also a sex scene that had more description than was needed, and it didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the storytelling.

In any case, I did like it.

There was a bit of swearing, including one F-word that I remember. One somewhat descriptive sex scene. One pretty sad death and the implication of pre- and extra-marital sexual encounters, as well as domestic violence are all part of the storyline.

The Mother's Promise (Sally Hepworth)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library as an audiobook because I like the author.

This book was probably a 3.7 for me, but since we only get the option of whole numbers on Goodreads, I rounded up to four stars. I don't remember if I had read the description of the book before I borrowed it, but I was pretty surprised to discover that it was nothing like the other books of Sally's that I've read. Usually her books seem to have some suspense to them, but this one was more about family, friends, and relationships. It also dealt with mental and physical health challenges

I listened to it in one day, so it obviously kept my interest. It gave me some things to think about, too, in regards to challenging our weaknesses and fears, as well as the importance of relationships.

There was some swearing, including the F-word. The story involves rape, domestic violence, and dying. None of it is graphically described.

It Starts with Us (Colleen Hoover)

Why I have this book: It's the sequel to the book I read just previously.

I gave this one three stars on Goodreads, just like I did with the first book in the series. It was good. I enjoyed it. The love interest was probably too good to be true, just like a lot of the male leads in romance novels.

There was some profanity, including the F-word. Domestic violence was still an issue, though not as intense or graphic as in the first novel. There were also a few sex scenes, moderately descriptive.