Wedding the Widow

By: Jane B Night

Narrated by: Felisha Caldeira

Augustus knows that a wife and family can never be more than a dream for him. His former fiancée made that perfectly clear when she left him before he had even recovered from the surgery to amputate his leg.

Yet, 10 years later he agrees to marry Charlotte when she is left widowed and pregnant on the trail west.

Augustus is immediately taken by the beauty and charm of his new wife. He is even more enchanted by the idea of a child in his home. He assures himself that his missing leg won't matter in their marriage as long as he can keep her away from his heart. And his bed.

Augustus' plan seems to be working until Charlotte gives birth to a stillborn child. In her grief, she begs Augustus to give her the child her heart desires.

Can he let go of his past long enough to put a baby in the womb of the woman he is quickly coming to love?

©2014 Jane B Night (P)2015 Jane B Night

A good book Slooow Narrator

This was a good book ruined by the narrator who was way too slow and hokey. It's a shame.

An Unlikely Romance.

Would you listen to Wedding the Widow again? Why?

Yes, it is a well-written and incredibly romantic story.

What other book might you compare Wedding the Widow to and why?

It is similar to Janet Oake's "Love Comes Softly," but much better written. The plots are similar. Both have pregnant widows forced by circumstances to marry strangers. Both are fairly clean. No graphic sex, but lots of romance and longing.

Which character – as performed by Felisha Caldeira – was your favorite?

It is a tie between the two main characters. Augusta is a very likeable, kind, honorable, self-sufficient man whose previous heartbrake make him unattainable. Charlotte is a sweet, kind, unassuming woman who has been dealt a difficult life that she manages with grace. You are cheering for her, because she deserves so much better.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The entire book is moving without being soap-opera like. When Augusta comes for dinner, Charlotte and Augusta's wedding, when Charlotte finds out she is pregnant and she is moving West, when she loses her baby...the entire book is memorable.

Any additional comments?

This is an excellent book that is matched with an excellent performance by Felisha Caldeira. Her voice is perfect for this story. I will be listening to more things by this narrator. I got this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Can Two Broken People Look Beyond & Help One Anoth

Can Two Broken People Look Beyond & Help One Another?

Charlotte is with child and on her way out west with her husband, a hard and abusive man. Along the journey he dies – leaving Charlotte and their unborn child to think for themselves.

Charlotte has seen advertisements for mail order brides, so she signs up. She does not expect much from her husband because she is old older and with child. All she wants is someone to take care of her and provide for both of them.

Augustus would like to have a wife, but his self-esteem is very low because after an accident leaving him with an amputated leg, his fiancé left town. She got married while he was recovering from his amputation. He has dedicated his life to his work and any joy his mail-order bride might bring to him.

What follows is a lovely story as Charlotte & Augustus learning about one another as they try to understand what path to take as they try to look to the future. It is difficult, rewarding and tear-jerking, as they try to find their way.

Felisha Calderia is a 'new to me' narrator. I am very stingy with my stars, I have given her 4-almost perfect! She is steady and strong, allowing vulnerability when required. I will look for her as I choose books in the future.


While *I received this book in exchange for my review, I really enjoyed it. Some books are a pleasant surprise. This is one of them-a lovely historical romance set in western America.


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Sweetly Unique Approach to Storytelling

A dual tale set in the Old West, this author uses a unique and refreshing approach to tell not one, but two love stories. One centers around Charlotte, a new widow, and her friend Sophie, a mail-order bride heading out to her new husband.

We begin our journey in Mapletown, a small midwestern town where a wagon train has stopped to arrange for the burial of one of their dead. The deceased man's wife, Charlotte, is in a bind: not only is she pregnant, but before his death her husband gambled away everything they had, including their wagon and oxen. She needs to stay in Mapletown, and she needs to find another husband to take care of her and her child. The wagonmaster speaks to the local clergy, who arranges for Charlotte to meet Augustus Hightower, a carpenter who is unmarried, but also a cripple with a wooden leg. Augustus fears rejection, and Charlotte fears the same due to her condition. But they agree to marry and begin a tentative liaison.

Sophie goes on with the wagon train and discovers her own husband is a gigantic man whose social skills are lacking, and who really only wanted a wife to take care of his blind father. She is satisfied with her role, but craves the love and attention she thought she'd be getting from Ezra, who won't even take her to his bed.

This author broke a few "rules" in telling her story, choosing to intertwine numerous flashbacks to fill the reader in on what makes the characters tick. It worked, and well. Although at times the flashbacks confused me, and the pace seemed slow in places, these elements worked together to set the tone for a wonderfully fulfilling ending.

The narrator did an outstanding job as well, with a sweet and lilting storytelling voice that very much matched the characters portrayed. A surprisingly pleasant twist on the traditional "romance format," Jane B. Night has created a story I will recommend to others.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Dreams Do Come True

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

At first I found her "s" ant "t" sounds to be piercing. Overall, the narration was well done. I would recommend more silent space between sections so that the listener can enjoy the various scenes depicted.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the two storylines. I liked the differences between the two women and men. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the telling of this story. I would gladly pick up another book but his author.I received a free copy of this audiobook via audiobookblast and from the author in exchange for an unbiased review.

a sweet insight into the old west

Any additional comments?

A sweet and unusual romance giving an insight into the rather bleak lives of unmarried women in the "old West".
When a couple are suddenly thrown together both with rather disapointing, tragic and violent pasts, will they manage to find love?
I enjoyed this short (5 hrs and 46 mins ) tale and found it interesting.
pleasent narration by Felisha Caldeira

I recieved a free copy of this audiobook , in exchange for an unbiased review .

Reluctant men and willing women are the theme.

I was given the audio book in exchange for an honest review. Wedding the Widow had a decent plot and story line. It's about two different widows, who for different reasons didn't find love with their first husbands. Charlotte is left widowed and pregnant when her less than wonderful husband dies along the wagon trail. Sophie was left a virginal widow and is heading out to meet her mail order husband. Both of the husbands the women end up with view themselves as flawed, but are so much more than the women had before. Both are also hesitant to bed their new wives.The story progresses as do the relationships between the men and their new brides-- two satisfactory love stories.
The narration by Felisha Caldeira left me wanting more. The tone of voice she used left me believing the women were simpering and helpless. I would have preferred a stronger voice and more distinction between males and females, but that's just me. I did speed it up a little and found it easier to listen to.

Great Read!

Any additional comments?

I’m not usually one to enjoy or read historical romances that take place in the US, or anything “western”, but I think both the author in this and the narrator could have very well changed my mind. This is kind of like a story of second chances, and you can almost fell the character’s love and emotions as you listen (I both listened to the audiobook along with reading the ebook).

The characters were well fleshed out, not at all “flat”. The story moved at a great pace, no part of this bored me at all. It really was a great page turner and I think one of those books that I would enjoy reading more than once just like some of my other favorite authors.

I want to thank Felisha Calderia in letting me listen to this for free for an honest review, it was a real treat to try something new and fresh, I now get to add a new author to my favorite list to watch out for great reads.

Two love stories for the price of one

What other book might you compare Wedding the Widow to and why?

Sutton's Way by Diana Palmer is a western romance with I father raising a non-blood related son. There both have women in need of help but end up helping another.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Augustus tells Charlotte about losing his leg and Emily was heartbreaking.

Any additional comments?

I didn’t like how the book goes back and forth between Charlotte and Sofey’s story. The way they end together is nice but I would have preferred them to be two separate stories.

A Sweet Story About Mail-Order Romance

The story was a nice light romantic drama that is based in the pioneering days of when the women out west were few and the need for women was more utilitarian-based to support the household friends and family.

Each of the main characters had self-doubt which made the book more about acceptance of themselves as well as acceptance of their partner.

The audio was good for light listening as the narrator had a calm and soothing voice. There was a time or two which I wish she had a little more inflection or urgency in her voice as there were a couple of instances where I didn't realize there was danger until mid-way through the section listening carefully to the actual contents of the story. There were no issues with the audio and content/chapters flowed smoothly.

All-in-all, I would recommend this audio for light story listening.

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I received this audio in exchange for a fair and honest review.