Blog Tour & Giveaway: “Hidden Wives” by Claire Avery
Please join Claire Avery, author of Hidden Wives, as she tours the blogosphere with TLC Book Tours!
To learn more about Claire Avery, visit the official website or blog, and follow on Facebook or Twitter!
Reviewed by Vera (Luxury Reading)
Sisters Sara and Rachel grew up in a Fundamentalist Mormon reservation with their father, three sister-wives, and numerous siblings. As both girls near their 16th birthdays – three years past the prime marriage age – they are presented to the Prophet in order to be married off. At the Blood of the Lamb community that the girls live in, men claim to receive revelations or testimonies from God about the women they are “meant” to marry; these revelations are then shared with the Prophet who determines whether or not the two people should be sealed in marriage.
Sara is told that she is to marry her uncle, while Rachel’s case proves to be more difficult. Sixteen men claim to have received testimonies for the beautiful Rachel, all wishing to add the shy teenager to their horde of wives. As a bidding war of sorts erupts for her hand in marriage, Rachel meets and falls in love with Luke, a recent arrival at Blood of the Lamb. Moved to the reservation by his father who suddenly found religion, Luke finds his new lifestyle ridiculous. Nevertheless, he puts up with the demands to please Rachel who is indoctrinated by her upbringing and deeply believes in the Blood of the Lamb teachings. She hopes against hope that the Prophet will consider her own testimony to marry Luke, and will allow her to become a first wife to the man she loves.
When the Prophet announces Rachel’s future husband, tensions run high and the girls’ already abusive father finds yet another outlet for his rage. While Sara knows that she must leave the community and her family behind for any chance at a normal life, she must also convince Rachel to join her before their fates are sealed…
[amazonify]0765326892[/amazonify]Written by the sister team of Mari Hilburn and Michelle Poche (pseudonym Claire Avery), who were raised in a fundamentalist Catholic community in Chicago, Hidden Wives is an intricate look into what life might be like for those born into a fundamentalist sect. Rachel’s and Sara’s stories were both enthralling and disturbing, leaving me with emotions ranging from sympathy to outright anger at their mistreatment. Sara was strong and resilient, ready to persevere despite her terrible lot in life. It was Rachel, however, that really grabbed and held my attention. She was so innocent and believing – and some may say brainwashed – that she could not see the truth despite being consistently wronged by every adult around her. Her ability to see hope where there was none and think the best of people who did not deserve it was heartbreaking to read about.
To say that I enjoyed Hidden Wives would be an understatement (if that was not already evident from my Summer Reading List). Some fiction can stagnate in favor of flowery language or unnecessarily long descriptions; while Hidden Wives was well written and informative, the story within was never dull. If you’re used to reading several books at a time, be prepared to make Hidden Wives your sole occupation until the last page!
Giveaway:
I have 1 copy of Hidden Wives to give away, courtesy of the publisher!
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This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Deadline to enter is midnight on July 24th.
Review and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Forge Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
Category: Gift Ideas, Great Fiction, Literature & Fiction
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I would love to win this copy of Hidden Wives. I am a Christian and had an aunt and uncle who were Morman but they didn’t believe in multible wives, when I was coming up they had church at home with literature the the church sent them and the Bible stories were no different from the ones I learned about. I know the politics of the churches in all religions are different and but some churches have basic beliefs the same. Now in todays time there are so many beliefs about who God is, it is mind bottling. I like to read books like this one even thought it is fiction because it brings something to light that I didn’t know before. I pray for the delivery from bondage of these wives and children as there is nothing else I know to do.Thank you for the chance to win this book.
This sounds like an interesting read.
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Hidden Wives sounds good. Reading about the Mormans is very interesting.
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The odds are so against me, but enter me anyway- this is on my TBR list and it sounds. so. AWESOME.
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Great review!! I’m so thrilled that you enjoyed the book and included it on your summer reading list! Thank you so much for being on the tour. We truly appreciate it.
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Sounds like a very interesting read. You gave a great review. I would love to win a copy to find out how things turn out for the two girls.
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Sounds intriguing! I’d love to read this.
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I recently heard the author of another book speak on this subject. I’m very interested in reading this.
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Please enter me in giveaway. This lifestyle genre fascinates me.
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It must be awful to have to get married to someone that someone else choses at the age of 16! At that age, I was still more of a child than a woman.
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This book is on my wishlist! I am fascinated by this sort of culture since it is so far from my own. They book sounds very good!
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I would love to read Hidden Wives. I really enjoyed reading the review. I hate to think of guys or girls growing up in such a situation.
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I agree with what RivkaBelle states … there seems to more and more books being written about this subject plus several ongoing law suits in federal courts. Maybe by getting the word out something can be done to help women that are subjected to this lifestyle in the name of “religion.”
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I think that it is more common than people realize. I saw a documentary that said there were thousands of cults at any given time in the us. I would love to read this book.
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I wish all stories about girls marrying their uncles were fiction!
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This isn’t a giveaway entry, just a comment-comment:
Is it just me, or is there a growing number of books that deal with women in situations like this? Not a large number, but a growing number … I even read a YA novel (Patron Saint of Butterflies) about something similar last year. While I think it’s a very real hidden problem in society, and one that needs to be addressed and examined ‘in the light of day’ sotospeak, I find it interesting that it’s through fiction the attention is slowly being garnered … We see stories from time to time on the news, but even seeing the faces of these people and hearing the struggle in their voices & stories, that doesn’t get more than passing attention. So fiction appears … And we post reviews all over the Internet, and we talk about ‘em in bookgroup, and people rant and rave and fuss … and it’s just a story. Interesting …
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