I absolutely loved this sweet historical romance by Kim Vogel Sawyer! She gave a new perspective to the traditional matchmaker story that is so often featured in historical novels. I loved the characters, with only a couple of exceptions. And, those exceptions were not because they weren't well written. In fact, it was because they were so well written. I loved how the relationship grew between Abigail and Mack and how they both learned how they both learned to overcome the hurts they had experienced in the past. Abigail learned so much about God's grace and forgiveness. I loved the friendship that she had with Helena and how Helena helped Abigail learn about patience. It was very clear that Sawyer had truly done her research into the time period as well. It was an all around enjoyable story!

This is a unique take on the mail order bride trope. This was a delightful and heartfelt romance. (

I recieved an ARC via netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review. (And I apologize to the author since I've had this a long time.)

Beneath a Prairie Moon is a warm and endearing read. I have been a fan of Kim Vogel Sawyer for many years and this novel didn't disappoint me. I found the character charming and relatable. The plot flows easily and the kept my attention. I really enjoyed on of the main characters Mack. He's one of the few men in this little town who didn't sign up and sent off a letter for a mail order bride, yet he finds himself in the very center of this drama in such an endearing way you can't help but love his personality and unique charm! The way some of these "bachelors" are written in a hilariously real to life and relatable way. From the owner of the matchmaking service, to her uppity assistant forced into this adventure, I found myself cheering for them and hoping for their success. This is a wonderfully told story of love, hope and expectation with a dash of harsh reality.

Beneath a Prairie Moon by Kim Vogel Sawyer was a delightful historical Christian romance.

Abigail Brantley loses not only her social standing, but her friends and fiancé due to her father being convicted of stealing from his business partners. She finds herself in a desperate situation and decides to become a mail order bride. Only trouble is, each groom she is matched with, sends her back.

The town of Spiveyville had 16 bachelors, each one sent away to Bingham's Bevy of Brides for a bride. Mrs. Bringham is sending Abigail to Spiveyville to tutor the men and turn them into suitable grooms.

I loved watching Mack, the one and only man who did not order a bride. and watching him interact with Abigail and fight his true feelings.

There was a clear presentation of the gospel, which was woven in beautifully. I have always enjoyed Kim Vogel Sawyers books, but the only thing I found hesitancy about in this one was the slow pacing. However the characters were brought up to open themselves to show their vulnerability and strength.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley.com. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

(4.5 stars) - a wonderful story of God's healing mediated through human charity

Abigail is struggling with the loss of her life as she knew it & is trying to at least hold onto the form of it in the structure of upper societal norms. This serves only to make her increasingly critical & bitter in her current lowered situation.

Mack has an idea of what that's like because of circumstances in his own past & does his best to help her even though she's kinda prickly initially.

Mrs Helena Bingham and the townsfolk of Spiveyville are engaging secondary characters that round out the story in a most entertaining, as well as touching, way.

The ending has a few strands that tie up a little too conveniently to be believable, but it's such a happy happily-ever-after that it feels ungenerous to deny any of the characters from being able to partake.

Clean romance level: sweet kisses
Religion: overtly Christian with Bible verse quotes, but fits in with the story rather than preachy

This book was well written and the characters were described well. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. It is a three star read for me. But it was still a good book. I can't wait to read more by this author.

What a special little town where everyone is good hearted and watches out for then others. Oh that's not to say that they aren't a little rough around the edges, but each is endearing. Founded by mostly single men, a bunch if them decide to send to a matchmaker for brides.

Helena wants to be sure that her brides are well cared for before she sends them out. Usually she can correspond to make this determination, but with this many men it is easier to pay a visit with her assistant. Neither of them expect the experience to be as it ends up! Wonderful read to get totally lost in for awhile.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Very enjoyable book! I loved that the matchmaker, Mrs. Bingham was so sincere about her mail order brides being matched to the right men. Abigail was so proper and uptight that at times it was humorous. The setting of a small town in Kansas was so believable. Abigail trying to teach the men, who were a little rough around the edges manners and decorum was amusing. I think readers will love this sweet story. Highly recommended!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.Characters were interesting and because of them the book was easy to understand. I will definitely look out for more books by this author to read.

I had heard of this book from a good friend, so when I got the opportunity to review it, I was overjoyed!

I have come to enjoy Kim Vogel Sawyer for her homey stories, with great character lessons and this one was no exception, such a sweet and lovely story. Honestly, the best thing about this book (and it was all great!) is the characters! Mrs. Sawyer did a great job of portraying each of them in a well rounded way, and made me feel like I actually knew them personally. I don’t just mean the main characters either. Other than the 4 or so main characters, there were about 10 or so secondary characters and each one was special and endearing.

This is the funny part though, for about half the story, the main female character is almost my least favorite. She had such a hoity-toity attitude about things, but ultimately that was what made her change of heart so much more meaningful.

I really enjoyed the matchmaker element, and getting to know all the bachelors (as I mentioned above, secondary characters). Honestly though, the most admirable of all, was Mack and his determination not to just put an advertisement in the mail, but the wait for the Lord to send a young lady across his path in His timing. Loved that!

Reading about the ‘courtship lessons’ put me very much in mind of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. So cute!

Spiritual content was really good! Seeing the spiritual growth and character development of each one was so wonderful.

All in all, this was such a fun, warm, and cozy story, and I highly recommend it! 5 out of 5 stars!

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! Perfect for when you want a clean romance that gives you all the feels!!!
Thank you for the ARC!!

It was bad enough that Abigail Grant has been forced from her rightful position in society due to her father’s criminal actions. Worse that she has been forced to offer herself as a mail order bride through Mrs Helena Bingham’s matchmaker agency. But she’s now had six matches, and rejected them all … or they’ve rejected her.

She’s down to her last chance when Mrs Bingham offers her a different role. She has sixteen prospective grooms from a small town in Kansas. Unfortunately, their introductory letters show they are lacking in “social niceties”. But Mrs Bingham has a plan.

She is sending Abigail to Spiveyville to tutor the men and turn them into suitable grooms. And Mrs Bingham is coming to supervise. Unfortunately, the sixteen wife-seeking bachelors of Spiveyville are not well pleased when their brides don’t arrive—only two women who aren’t part of the bridal pool.

It’s a setup ripe with opportunities for humour, and Kim Vogel Sawyer does not disappoint. The humour is more understated than obvious, but it’s there. There is also a little romance, a little suspense, and a little Christian preaching (although it’s not preachy. It’s just Mrs Bingham sometimes can’t help herself).

Mrs Bingham was a pleasant surprise as a character. My first impression of her was a benevolent dictator with a backbone of steel. She has an element of steel—I expect widowed women needed a healthy sense of their own abilities to run a successful business. But I was impressed by her compassion for the girls she matched, and her genuine desire to make good marriages for her clients.

One thing confused me a little. I’m used to romance novels where the story is told from the points of view of the heroine and hero (and usually in that order). Under a Prairie Moon had four different points of view, which made me think it was going to be a secondary romance plot. There kind of was, but it didn’t go the way I was expecting (which isn’t bad). But it did leave me wondering why we had the extra points of view.

Overall, I enjoyed Under a Prairie Moon. I’m sure fans of western romances, especially mail order bride stories, will enjoy it. Thanks to WaterBrook Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

This book was absolutely AMAZING!! Great, quirky characters! Funny and sweet, my new favorite book!!

The town of Spiveyville Kansas is the setting for this 1880 tale. Abigail was part of the high society until her father's dealing destroyed her family's reputation. Abigail was forced to try and be a mail order bride. The problem was her standards were too high and Helena the owner of the mail order company has resorted in using Abigail to use her to teach 16 men in rural Kansas town how to treat a lady in order for them to be paired with Helena's girl. Abigail finds a few rough situations but has Mac the declared bachelor to help her out and a budding friendship ensues.

This offering by Kim Vogel Sawyer is an enjoyable quick read. There is humor throughout the book that keeps the reader entertained in this historical fiction reading. The reader will enjoy the slow romance for the two ladies and find themselves rooting for all of the men in this small Kansas town. Ms. Sawyer paints a picture of this town with all of their variety of bachelors that the reader can quickly begin to root for the men to find their perfect match. The characters are memorable and are equally as enjoyable as the main characters of Abigail, Helena, Mac and Bill. Fans of Ms. Sawyer will not be disappointed and readers of Tracie Peterson will find this an enjoyable read. 

I received an ARC ebook from Netgalley  and the publisher, Waterbrook and Multnomah Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Abigail Brantley hasn’t found her match yet, even though she has been sent out a handful of times as a mail order bride. Her father’s imprisonment overshadows her sense of self and her mother’s death put her adrift.

Mack Cleveland is the Kansas hardware store owner/operator. Due to a family member’s bad experience with a mail order bride, Mack is not interested in the newest bevy of brides headed to their small Kansas town.

Bride organizer, Helena, accompanies Abigail to Kansas with a special purpose. Since so many brides were ordered by one two, Helena wants Abigail to teach the men some basic manners and Helena wants time to assess the prospective grooms in order to pair them most effectively with brides.

This prairie life story had heart and I enjoyed it.

Beneath a Prairie Moon by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Story Notes

Kim Vogel Sawyer’s latest story is one that will teach lessons of grace, kindness and acceptance while also including a little suspense to keep the story interesting.

There is so much more to this story than the description provided by the publisher allows, which is both good and bad. Good in that the best parts of the story are kept within the pages but bad because the description is somewhat misleading, given the lack of full disclosure. Ms. Sawyer does a wonderful job of drawing readers in with her first chapter – the men of Spiveyville Kansas have banded together to request mail order brides for all interested unmarried men in town. With so few visitors it has become clear that if they are to each build a family they will have to send off for wives willing to come to them. Mack Cleveland, however, is firmly against the idea as his uncle was fully taken advantage of by a woman who came to town claiming to be his mail order bride. But with everyone so determined, Mack sees there is little he can do to sway them. He only agrees to help with the transporting of the brides to the town, but after that the men will be on their own. Helena Bingham is the proprietor and administrator of Bingham’s Bevy of Brides, a mail order bride service in Newton, Massachusetts,which matches willing ladies with appropriate seeking husbands. When she receives the large request of brides from the men of Spiveyville she has much to consider before she decides to send anyone to the requesters. While she is pondering what is needed, Abigail Brantley returns to her home with tales of woe from her latest placement. Abigail is Helena’s hardest client to date and seems to have an over inflated sense of self. Helena knows Abigail has the ability to be kind, sweet and charming but she cannot seem to bring herself to marry a poor, if hardworking, man. Given the amount of money Helena has spent trying to place Abigail, she will not place her again until Abigail reimburses Helena or agrees to help with the Spiveyville bachelors. Helena decides the best way to handle the situation is to travel to Spiveyville and help the men prepare for their wives. Given the letters she received it is clear they lack much when it comes to social graces and she will not sent her prospective brides to a man who will make them miserable. Abigail sees no other choice than to accompany Helena but determines she will not allow this “backwards” town to remove all her learned manners and decorum. Helena and Abigail’s arrival in Spiveyville without the brides causes an uproar that is quickly quieted by the Sheriff and Paster Doan. The men grudgingly agree to Helena’s proposed “lessons” to teach them how to behave around a lady, but are determined to start as soon as possible. What follows will be an exercise in patience for Helena and Abigail, but will be extremely helpful to the men who have never considered the correct ways to behave. And even though Mack was against the idea of mail order brides, he’s fully supportive of helping the men develop manners and social graces. As the lessons progress, both Abigail and Mack will come to appreciate each other for the impact they each make on the “students”. Mack begins to soften to the idea that women from big cities are not all looking to steal from others and further will see that in spite of Abigail’s initial prickliness, she is a very kind person. Abigail will have her life and mindset changed dramatically by the people of Spiveyville who teach her that just because someone is “poor” that doesn’t make them a lesser person. God will reach inside her heart and make it new, thanks to the faith challenges she faces on a daily basis in Spiveyville. And both Mack and Abigail will need all the knowledge they’ve acquired when Helena is kidnapped by a man determined to find a new wife – and it will be during this time that they both see how very much they’ve come to depend on the other for strength and spiritual encouragement. The end of the story brings about all necessary conclusions with a few joyful surprises thrown in for good measure. Ms. Sawyer did such a good job of making her characters come alive in the pages of the story. I could very easily imagine what each person described looked like as well as the actions they employed. I loved how strongly adverse to those who are poor Ms. Sawyer made Abigail, not that Abigail was right in her beliefs but that it gave an eye-opening view of what it looks like when we think we are better than others because of what we have. I truly disliked Abigail as much as Mack did when she first came to town, she was honestly rude and demeaning to everyone she deemed “beneath” her. But she was a perfect foil for Mack, who accepted all around him with grace and kindness and despite his dislike for Abigail’s snottiness, he sought to be her friend and protector. Ms. Sawyer gave plenty of page time to each of her prominent characters and thus allowed me to see how each of them grew and changed based on the situations they encountered. I could also see her faith in Jesus was evident in the way that she filled the pages with quiet reminders of how grace and mercy are extended to all regardless of social status. This wasn’t a truly daring book when it came to the action but there was enough to keep me reading the pages fairly quickly and wanting to know the ending. I will most certainly recommend this book to others as an enjoyable read, perfect for a trip or weekend at the beach. I look forward to Ms. Sawyer’s next book as I’m sure it will be just as wonderful.

I received this E-Book free of charge from Waterbrook and Multnomah Publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation from either company for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

This book was SO much fun to read! Abigail has to learn how to survive in a small, pioneer town where the men aren't accustomed to "high society" manners. As she teaches manners and prepares the men for the brides coming their direction, Abigail learns what is REALLY important in life and falls in love in spite of herself. Fall in love with Abigail and all her quirks while getting to know the characters of Spiveyville, Kansas.

Set in the late 1800s, Beneath a Prairie Moon was a story of mail-order brides from the east traveling out to Kansas. There was the main lady that men would write to and she would get to know what they liked and get to know what the ladies liked and match them up. She received word from many men from one town and decided to travel there and get to know them all in person. For me, this story held my interest and was a fun read with times of laughter and times of nail-biting, action-packed situations.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the way each character became important to the story and the town. There was action, mystery, humor, and of course a bit of romance. I love westerns and this one was one of the best I have read this year!

I thought this book, Beneath a Prairie Moon, started out slow, but soon got better. It was an okay read. At first I didn't like the main character, Abigail. She's uppity, spoiled, and looks down on everyone. She changes during the book however and isn't so superior by the end.

The plot is that Abigail's well-to-do father is swindler and thief and lost everything. Her mother died of a broken heart and Abigail is trying to find a husband. She is too picky and keeps returning to the matchmaker for someone new.

She accompanies the matchmaker to the town of Spiveyville where a large order of mail order brides has been requested. The town is rustic, the characters are charming beneath their crusty exteriors, and some funny things happen.

Overall, this was an okay book. I thought it dragged a bit, but it kept my attention to the end.