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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A treasurable gem of a story!, July 23, 2005
This review is from: The Midwife's Secret (Mass Market Paperback)
The setting was described so magnificiently that I feel compelled to visit Banff in Canada someday. I felt a great deal of admiration for Amanda. She showed courage, independence and strength above and beyond the stereotypical prairie woman of 1888. She dealt with her "secrets" of divorce and infertility with the attitude of a modern day woman. One could help but love Amanda's equally wonderful gradmother Miss Clementine - what a hoot! The way these women opened their heart to others, the ill and suffering in their community as well as orphaned children, even when many of the same people weren't very accepting of them, was very special. And the chemistry between Tom and Amanda sizzled off the pages - I love the scene, on the night of the ball celebrating the opening of the Banff Springs Hotel, when they first made love out in the open air - very romantic and sensual!
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Big Disappointment to this Kate Bridges Fan, December 23, 2003
This review is from: The Midwife's Secret (Mass Market Paperback)
I am a Kate Bridges Fan -- for instance I loved Frontier Christmas and The Surgeon and thought they were some of the best books in the historical western genre. However, I found this book to be a true disappointment. I have read most of the Harlequin Western Historical books and this is truly one of the worst. It was boring with a capital B. I did not find the romance between Amanda and Tom interesting. Two more boring characters could not have been created. I was truly disappointed that the title was the Midwife's Secret, yet the secret lasted through only the first third of the book. What secret is that? In a nutshell:
Amanda Ryan (a divorcee) moves to Banff after her husband divorces her because she lost her uterus after a stillborn birth. She rides a bicycle that scandalizes the town. The main male character, Tom Burdock -- a builder, is robbed by his partner who sells Amanda land to build a cabin without Tom's knowledge. Amanda hires Tom to build the cottage. That's how they meet. With two brothers to help financially -- the town's doctor and a law student, plus a failing business because of his partner's deceit, Tom (at first) finds it hard to be interested in Amanda -- a divorcee until he learns her "secret" that her husband divorced her because she could never have children. Amanda -- the town midwife decides to become foster parent to two orphans -- Margaux and Josh. She gradually grows on Tom, his brother Quaid and the townspeople. Then Tom and Amanda fall madly in love ... As I said, this book was boring. The characters were not really well-developed and consequently not very interesting. Although three of the Kate Bridges books I mentioned were published in the same year -- the Midwife's Secret must surely have been written earlier in her writing career. Her later work is so much better. Please read her story in Frontier Christmas and one of the best books in the historical western genre -- The Surgeon. That one is truly a hoot with funny, likeable characters.
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MOST EXCELLENT BUT =, June 6, 2003
This review is from: The Midwife's Secret (Mass Market Paperback)
Amanda Ryan has arrived in the town of Banff in the district of Alberta in 1888. I had to chuckle at the townspeoples reaction to her bicycle. They were scandalized! Tom Burdock was not in the right frame of mind to deal with someone who appearently has a deed to his property. How can he reconcile the fact that his partner has taken him to the cleaners? Amanda feels the same attraction for Tom that he feels but to safe-guard her secret she must deny her feelings. She has her grandmother, Miss Clementine and herself to take care of - Don't need a man, thank-you very much. Miss Clementine does seem to adopt Tom's father. Tom is being run ragged between keeping his business problems and his attraction to Amanda under wraps. Then the opportunity to take in two orphans presents itself to Amanda and it brings more meaning to her life. Her neighbor Ellie O'Hara, who is pregnant [and her family] are becoming great friends with Amanda. Ah, but Tom has a Doctor brother, Quaid Murdock who looks down on Amanda but in the end gratefully accepts her help with his wife. Opps! Amanda found out that Tom's almost intended, Clarissa took off with Finnegan, Tom's partner. And doggonit she would show up at the celebration dance. I felt almost as bad for Tom as I did for Amanda when I found out her secret - I guess that is what makes an excellent story.
I did love the way Amanda handled her two orphans, Margaux and her brother, Josh - especially after Margaux nailed Tom with the fish hook. Oow! All in all a definitely good story -- Definitely Recommended --M
The back woods of Canada is fascinating.
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