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Review: "The Betrayal" by Diane Noble (Brides of Gabriel #2)

From Goodreads:  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.


My Thoughts:  I am really interested in polygamy and how it came to be a prevalent part of Mormon culture in the mid to late 1800s and I have been wanting to read this book since I finished The Sister Wife.  The Betrayal continues the story of Mary Rose and her new sister wife Bronwyn and follows their struggles as they travel from Illinois to Utah territory and their personal experiences with polygamy.  It was a really sad story; I am guessing the polygamist lifestyle is not an easy one and it was pretty hard on the characters in the book.  At the same time, I really admired the strong female characters that Noble portrayed in this book.  Despite the things they had to endure, they still tried to fight for what they believed was right no matter what.  My one complaint is that the end felt very rushed and events were taking place way before I expected them to be.  There was a major cliffhanger at the end and I am a little concerned as to what will happen to the characters since the Mountain Meadow Massacre was alluded to.  I enjoyed this story and am looking forward to finding out if they ever find some semblance of happiness.  3 stars.

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