Is it possible to escape polygamy? Find true love? Well-behaved women don’t ask these questions. Not in my world.
My name is Elizabeth Hyde. Actually, no. It’s Grant. In the real world, I’m Elizabeth Grant.My husband’s name is Hyde, and he has three other wives. No one can know that. Obviously.In the strict religious community I was born into, women have clearly defined roles. They’re homemakers … have clearly defined roles. They’re homemakers and caregivers. They rear children. But I don’t have any children, which means I have something of a ticket to the outside. Big families need money, and it’s time for me to get a job.
And I’m loving this job. Being a medical assistant might not sound impressive to most people, but it’s a lot more exciting than making dinner for a family of twenty.
I have to admit, the job isn’t the only thing that excites me.
Lately, I’ve been getting close to Evan Adgate, the doctor who runs the medical center. He’s my opposite in every way: funny, smart, wealthy, educated. It’s no wonder the man turns heads. Heaven help me, he turns mine.
But Evan and I can never be together. We can never be anything. No matter how many talks or dinners we have, my secrets will always be a barrier between us. It’s better if we keep things professional.
Now I just have to keep telling myself that.
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Emotionally gripping
This was a beautifully written book but it is an emotionally hard story to read at the same time because of the subject matter. But the author has done a great job with an engaging story-line and wonderful characters. I ended up putting this book away for a while and then coming back to it. The story of Elizabeth finally realizing that she deserves more in life than to be the fourth wife, the work horse, the cleaner, the cook, her husband’s whore, emotionally abused and then physically abused is a story of hope, healing, strength and love, which she finally finds.
I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.
THE FAVORED WIFE tells the story of a fourth wife, from a religious community, who is trying to find her own place in the world. As the fourth wife, she is used to being told what to do (way down in the pecking order), and this carries over into her job. There is a silver lining though, as she makes friends with one of the nurses and one of the doctors.
This was an interesting read, with plenty of detail about the home life, and why Elizabeth thought and felt the way she did. The husband, Thomas, came across well for parts of the book, before he became more obviously misguided and abusive. However, as an outside reading the book, you can see the ‘rot’ in how they live (with the young men, for example).
On the whole, this was a smooth read, with no editing or grammatical errors to spoil my reading. It was a well-paced read, with strong characters. I would have liked a bit more background on some of the ‘bad’ characters–Brittany and Thomas in particular.
Still, it was a great read, and I definitely recommend it.
I really enjoy stories that are like this. A polygamist woman goes into the outside world and falls for someone that’s not her husband and she doesn’t know what to do about it.
I couldn’t seem to put this book down. There are scenes of domestic violence, so trigger warning for that. This book was very well written. The overall plot was well thought out, the characters are all dynamic and you can’t help but root for the main character. Elizabeth reminds me a little bit of myself. She has a huge heart and will do anything to help others, even if it puts herself at risk. She is starting to find out that there’s more to life than having scheduled sex with a man that has three other wives and she finds out what true love feels like.
I don’t have much to say about this book other than I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it. I think we were given a rather accurate, though it’s not completely detailed, representation of what it is like to be a member of a polygamist family. There are lots of moving parts and many different feelings.
I give this book a five star rating and a big recommendation.
Oh wow The Favored Wife was just WOW I don’t want to give much away because this is one of those stores that just dives you into it . When I reached the end I was sad but happy sad because it was over and I wanted more but happy that characters found a happy ending . This would be the first book that I’ve had the pleasure of reading and I just can’t wait to read more by Amy Pennza I hope to see more these characters in the future . Elizabeth my heart really hurt for that woman when things about her past are reveled to her I just felt her pain , liked how she tries to find her Independence in some way . Loved Evan he was just wow liked how he wanted to be the heroines friend and how he looked out for her when a jealous coworker does things to her . Really liked how the couple slowly got together you could just feel how intense the connection was . Liked and hated some of the secondary characters some were really awesome while others were just cruel in some way . I can’t wait to read more by this author in the future and I’m hoping to read more books like this one .
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
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hero=10 heroine=10 secondary characters=10
Chemistry=10 steam=4 romance=5
humor=3 darkness level=4 action=3 mystery=4
enjoyment=10 angst=3 story line=10 Story ending=10
character development=10 pacing=10
cover=10 Blurb =10 Stars =5
would I recommend this book=yes
would I re read this book=yes
would I read future books by this author= yes
I have read a few books which have a similar setting to The Favored Wife and this definitely is a good example. The claustrophobic nature of Elizabeth’s life is palpable as is the animosity directed towards her in her day to day life. It is hard for me to imagine coping with this way of life, so my heart was in my mouth a lot of the time as Amy Pennza develops her story of the bewildering life of a religious cult. It also succeeds in telling a love story which serves as a true contrast to Liz’s experience to date.
This is a well written page turner, though, with my nasty streak to the fore, I really wanted to see dire consequences meted out to a couple of people! I look forward to reading more books by this author.
This book was one I don’t read many of. It takes a situation that is unimaginable and brings you into her world. The author made me feel all the emotions the characters were going through. The feelings I had during this book were so high! I finished it in about 4 hours. It is really hard to imagine a life like the one told in this book. I was so happy to see how her story ends and she finally gets the happiness she deserves. I think it also brings to light that people like this are raised this way and can’t see how wrong it is. It was a very emotionally draining read because you want her to do better for herself and get out of the situation she is in.
Elizabeth was an amazingly wonderful character. I was in awe of everything she put up with. She meets these new people and her life starts changing before her eyes. Her journey, along with Evan, Thomas, Trudy and several sister wives will take you on a journey like no other. Evan is such a strong, amazing character that you don’t see coming – but he protects and takes care of those he loves in such an amazing way.
The family dynamics are amazing! I was in awe at the sheer coordination it took to run this huge family. I was engrossed and read it quickly. I had some unanswered questions. I don’t want to spoil it. I really liked the hero and heroine. The secondary characters almost stole the show- Trudy, Jackson, Leah, Daria, and even Brittany. I was not satisfied by some things. It was a good story. I would recommend to anyone.
This was my first book by this author, and she did not disappoint. The book was an intense emotional journey about a taboo topic. I will definitely be reading other books by this author, and i highly recommend you grab this book!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is my first time reading this author and I think this book is brilliantly written. The author has done a wonderful job with the plot and the characters so that I couldn’t help but be drawn in and at times feel the frustration and pain that Elizabeth was experiencing on a daily basis. This is a book that shines the light on the fact that situations may not be what we assume them to be and that women may be suffering and not outwardly showing that to the world. Have a box of tissues near you as you go on an amazing emotional journey.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Holy smokes. I devoured this book in no time. I have never read a book anything like this before. I was captivated from the beginning. The characters were perfectly written and the storyline was flawless! I couldn’t imagine being in a community like Elizabeth was. It makes you wonder if things like this truly happen! Amy Pennza is a new author to me and I’m so glad I took a chance with this book! I can’t wait to check out what others books she has written.
This book will blow you away! Elizabeth was part of a religion where the men were allowed three or more wives. She herself was a sister wife along with three others to Thomas. Since she had no children, she was allowed to train and get a job which is where she met Evan. Their friendship grew and because he listened to her she didn’t tell him about her married life. When Brittany made things difficult or her and then caused problems on the home front, the beat down she received from Thomas set into motion her departure from a life she was slowly coming to realize she wanted no part of. This horrific story will have you gasping and wanting to get within the story to pull Elizabeth to safety. It is an emotional rollercoaster that will have you wondering how conditions like that could take place without someone putting an end to it!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Born into a religious cult Elizabeth is the youngest & most favoured ‘wife’ of Thomas. Fortunately shes been able to get a job outside of the compound where she mets Evan a doctor at the medical centre. Both are drawn to the other but she is unable to stay outside in their world other than to work.
Life is becoming difficult at home with the only true wife Dinah giving her a hard time. She also suffers the same from the nurse that runs the centre. After an incident with Thomas she escapes, aided by compassionate family members. Evan comes to her aid then it’s a worrying time as to what will happen next.
This is lovely heartfelt tale with wonderful & at times horrible characters. It gives you an insight into polygamy & the many cults that are around. This is something different from the normal romances out there.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.