Brides & Brothers by Anneka R. Walker is a contemporary romance. Camille Kelly is in real danger of becoming an old maid—at least by Cherish, Montana, standards. She has all but given up on finding Mr. Right—until her broken laptop leads her to Aiden Peterson, a tall, dark, and handsome computer genius. Camille would never have believed her magic moment was right around the corner, but after two whirlwind weeks, she has a ring on her finger and has happily ever after in sight. However, she soon discovers Aiden is part of a daunting package deal. As the eldest of seven brothers, Aiden has never had a problem living under the same roof as his rambunctious siblings. When he falls for Camille, he is confident she’ll fit right into his family’s already bursting home. He thought wrong. Aiden and Camille’s storybook romance comes to a screeching halt when she discovers her new living situation. Not willing to submit to a life mothering a bunch of grown men, Camille has only one option: she embarks on a campaign to improve her new brothers-in-law and marry them off. And what better candidates for wives than her own best friends?
Brides & Brothers is a book I had a really hard time with, although I do recognize that fans of Christian romance and the musical 7 Brides for 7 Brothers will enjoy it much more than I. I did like that the attempt was made to deal with depression, anxiety, and some mental health issues. I thought most oft he characters were a little flat, only described enough to fit their necessary role. Furthermore, everything was tinted with the fundamentalist's idealized version of marriage with the wife as the caregiver, cleaner, cook, and pretty much everything else and with things very clearly along traditional gender lines. The idea that no one can be independent and happy alone or is incomplete without marriage was floated on the very first page and was pretty much a regular theme through the book. Look, I go to church every week and am happily married. However, I do not buy into the subservient wife or two halves of a whole ideology, and it often rubs me the wrong way. This was certainly the case here. I just could not get past that to enjoy the read.Those that like those ideas and are looking for a book that does as well, will really enjoy this book.
Brides & Brothers is a book that will appeal to some fans of Christian romance, but it was very much not my cup of tea. 
No comments:
Post a Comment