Yankee Wife

Genre: Historical Romance, Shortly after Civil War
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Grade: F

Lydia McQuire, a nurse for the Union in the Civil War, has just enough money in her pockets for either food or board (but definitely not both) when she spots a sign advertising for a wife. She would never do anything so demeaning as sign on to being a wife to some stranger when piano playing at saloon's is going so lucratively for her but she figures that since it is breakfast time she might get her interview with a meal. So she rouses Devon Quade from bed, asks for an interview and sure enough gets breakfast with it. But he is so handsome! So mannerly! Lydia decides to marry him when she is offered the opportunity.

Once aboard ship Lydia is surprised to see Devon walking towards her with another woman on his arm. His sister? Daughter? Alas no, it is his wife. Devon had not contracted Lydia to marry him but his older brother Brigham. Brigham of course knows nothing about it and doesn't want to marry. Lydia begins her conversation with him by assuring him she doesn't want to marry him either.

This book is a mess of standard romance subplots. Lydia lusts after Brigham, eventually sleeps with him, but won't marry him till he says he loves her. Devon's wife Polly turns out to be a soiled lady in search of a better life and hasn't really married him (She would use a fake preacher, "marry" men and then steal from them). Since Polly is pregnant and Devon deserts her Brigham starts to marry her but then Lydia and Devon interrupt the ceremony to get their respective partners back. Now that everyone is legally married to who they want to be there is a big fight and life goes pretty much back to lusting, fighting and living separately while the ladies pine for the men to say those three magic words. Everyone eventually does of course, because this is a romance novel.

I didn't like any of the characters. When they weren't being TSTL they were being hateful or stubborn. I bought two Millers at the used book store and am debating if the second one is even worth reading at this point.

Tea: Brew a pot and pour it over this clunker.