The Betrayal

Summary (from the publisher): Ensnared in a religion she increasingly questions, Bronwyn faces an impossible choice.

When recently widowed Bronwyn becomes the second wife to Gabriel MacKay, she promises her new sister wife and best friend, Mary Rose, that the marriage will remain platonic. But she finds herself falling in love with the man who has promised to keep her safe—even as her heart struggles with her promise to her friend. When Gabriel marries a third wife, and as the practice of polygamy increases and the age of brides decreases, Bronwyn begins to question the righteousness of this new religion.

Even as the Saints journey to Salt Lake Valley, their new promised land, Bronwyn and Mary Rose plot their escape. But when they are suspected of treachery by Brigham Young's secret army—whose mission it is to punish apostates—the two sister wives face the most difficult decision of their lives, one that can mean life or death for those they love.

Review: I wish I could give this a more positive review, because I did enjoy the first book The Sister Wife, I seem to have a fascination for reading books about polygamy, and I liked the premise of this novel. However, this novel failed to impress me.

This book continues the story of Mary Rose and her husband Gabriel, who join the Saints before the practice of polygamy started. This novel is told largely from the perspective of Bronwyn, Mary Rose's best friend, and Gabriel's second wife. In this novel, Gabriel takes yet a third wife and the family begins to see the dark and dangerous side of the church, including forcing young girls to marry very old men and running off or harming young boys who get in the way.

A large part of my dissatisfaction with this book comes from my dislike for Gabriel. The Gabriel in this book is not the man that Mary Rose fell in love with on board the ship from England to America. This guy is a straight jerk. He thinks he deserves not one, not two, but three young women as his wives? I really don't like him or the way he treats his wife Mary Rose, who never wanted to live the life of polygamy but was forced in to it by Gabriel, largely because he seems to lust for Bronwyn and then Enid.

I also thought that there were too many characters in this, making it impossible for Noble to successfully develop them all. The twins Ruby and Pearl, who were a vibrant presence in book one, have no dialogue and are just background props, as are most of the many children the two women have between them. Also, the whole family seems to really dislike and resent Enid, yet she's supposed to be the loving soulmate of Hosea? That doesn't add up.  Most of the plot was unconvincing to me, most particularly the happy, ride off into the sunset ending. I don't buy that at all. 

I liked the premise of making a secondary character from the first book, Bronwyn, the main character in this book. However, I was disappointed in the execution and the direction of the plot.

Stars: 2.5