The Wives of Bowie Stone [Mass Market Paperback]

Maggie Osborne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1994

Knowing that she can save the life of a condemned man by offering to marry him, Rosie Mulvehey opts for a marriage of convenience to ex-cavalry man Bowie Stone, who promises to save her rundown farm as his part of the agreement.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books (December 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446365335
• ISBN-13: 978-0446365338
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 0.9 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #738,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complicated obstacles overcome with skill and style, December 1, 2001

By 

Carol Peterson Hennekens (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wives of Bowie Stone (Mass Market Paperback)

Virtually every romance novel involves the couple overcoming one or two obstacles in the path to love and happiness. Many authors can't even overcome those obstacles in a way that flows. The obstacles in this book are numerous. Rosie is a victim of years of sexual abuse at the hands of her dead step-father and has responded by becoming an active alcoholic who dresses like a man and won't look in mirror. She needs hand to reach her goal of making her farm pay (revenge on the step-father). Her county has a law that a man can be saved from the gallows if he marries a woman from the county. Enter Bowie - dishonorably discharged Army captain and convicted murderer. He chooses marriage over death -- conveniently forgetting his wife in name only, Susan.

2/3's of the book is the story of Rosie and Bowie as he clears his name and guides Rosie out of her nightmare. He's helps by some great side characters. 1/3 of the book is the story of Susan. Bowie assumed she was safe in Washington DC. It turns out that she's been disinherited and goes to Wyoming as a mail order bride only to be rejected because she has a son.

Many authors would have made a total wreck out of such a mass of complications. Osborne works her way through with skill and tenderness. It's not a perfect book. Bowie's a bit too good to be true. And it didn't move me to tears. Still, it's a much better than average read. And the critics agree with me. The book was chosen by Romantic Times as one of the 200 best books of the last two decades. Likewise, The Romance Reader's reader's poll chose it as one of the 100 best books in the history of romance novels.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heart Wrenching, November 13, 2000

By 

TooManyHobbies "too_many_hobbies" (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Wives of Bowie Stone (Mass Market Paperback)

At one point in this novel I was crying so hard that I could no longer see the page. It is heart wrenching and very emotional. Make sure you have a box of tissues handy and maybe even a finger of whiskey (so you can toast Rosie's accomplishments).

The novel is actually two stories in one. It is about two vastly different women who must each overcome hardships and trauma on the road to self-awareness and self-respect. One of the heroines is Rosie Mulvehey, who saves Bowie Stone from the hangman's noose by selecting him to be her husband. In exchange for his life, Bowie agrees to help Rosie plant and harvest her crop on a dusty Kansas farm. With Bowie's help, Rosie is able to face the demons of her past and overcome the hardships of the present. The second heroine is Susan Stone who, along with her young son, is abruptly evicted from her opulent Washington D.C. home. Without friends, family or money, Susan is forced to answer a want ad for a mail-order bride. She travels cross-country to Wyoming, only to be rejected by her waiting husband-to-be. She quickly learns that she must face the world head-on if she and her son are to survive.

I really enjoyed this novel it was well written, face paced and a real tearjerker. The only reason that I did not give it a "Five" is that I found the finale with Rosie and Bowie a little short.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW, October 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wives of Bowie Stone (Mass Market Paperback)

I read perhaps 3 romance novels a week by a number of authors. This is BY FAR the best book I have read in my many years of reading. Thank you Maggie Osborne. You have given me characters that will live on in my mind long after this book has been put on the shelf.