This is my first novel by Leslie Howard. I enjoyed this novel although it did take some time to get going, although I enjoyed the character development. I also loved reading about BC!

This story of the brideship women is relatively unknown chapter of Canadian history. The idea was to give the women of different backgrounds including impoverished gentlewomen and serving class a chance to marry or live independently in the colony of British Columbia. Where there were supposedly more opportunities, which later turned out not necessarily true.

England, 1862. Charlotte, impoverished gentlewoman, at the age of twenty-one is not ready to get married and a position of a governess entails the exhausting boredom. She craves something more exciting. She inherits her father’s adventurous and independent spirit.

She is told about the Columbia Emigration Society, which sends ships of unmarried women to the colonies. “The idea is to give the women a chance to marry or live independently in the colony of British Columbia, where there are more opportunities.”

Even with her adventures spirit, she is hesitant at first as she doesn’t want to share the unknown land with unlawful men. But an unfavorable situation at home puts her straight on the ship to Americas.

While crossing the oceans on the ship she gets to assist a doctor in seeing patients. It gives her an enjoyment she hasn’t foreseen. And the suffering she witnesses on her daily rounds is heartbreaking and eye-opening.

Once in the New World, the bridesmaids learn that the better opportunities don’t include the serving class. The life here is actually not that much better than at home.

The historical background is what I’d consider a pretty light one. It of course involves limitations opposed on women of the time, Proclamation of 1860 – promise of free land if you’re married and promise to farm or ranch the land, exploitation of the natives, the epidemics that wiped out villages. However, whatever is presented, it doesn’t go into details or it’s very brief.

The heroine is pretty independent and takes the challenges on. She has her dreams and she takes steps towards those dreams. There is some light romance and friendships.

It is told with simple prose. What kept me interested in the story was how her new life would look like and how the life in the New World would be depicted.

I hoped what was left behind in England would be the past and new beginnings would happen in the New World, but there was unnecessary mulling on the ship over the past, which looked like it might follow her. And a bit of it did, but that part was brief and fine.

Well done Leslie Howard! My favorite books are those that broaden my knowledge within its pages...and this book definitely fulfilled that goal. It tells the story of women from England who are mostly poor and impoverished being shipped across the world to British Columbia in an effort to tame the “wild” men and further colonize the territory. The main character is Charlotte, a strong woman who found herself on the wrong side of both her brother in law and gossip. Loved the way she stood up for what she believed in and supported those less fortunate. Charlotte and her poor sister, Harriet, endured so much hardship on board the bride ship. I cheered for Charlotte’s strength and resilience and her decisions to follow her beliefs, as opposed to the expectations of high society. Very entertaining, although the pacing through me a bit in a few sections. Many many thanks to Leslie Howard, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read this entertaining novel to be published on May 5th. If you love historical fiction with a strong female protagonist this book is for you.

If you like Historical fiction based on facts this is a very good story.
It is about the women who were sent to the Americas to find either husbands or work a board the Bride Ships from England and their hardships.
Good interesting story, drama ,angst, romance.
Enjoyed learning about this part of history.
Voluntarily reviewed

This novel was beautifully written from beginning to end! It begins in 1862, by introducing us to Charlotte, a 21 year old who is living with her older, married sister Harriet and her husband. She is being pressured to marry well and is being encouraged by Charles (her brother in law) to try to get in good graces with a man in high social standings and has many connections. After a party where things go very poorly with this man, rumors about Charlotte start spreading, this along with other mishaps, cause Charles to send both Charlotte and Harriet away on a Brideship heading to North America.
This novel does well to transition from events before the voyage, to the voyage and then after. Charlotte is a strong, independent woman who has been discouraged by others to think and do things on her own, due to her social obligation to marry well and and fall into society. During her voyage, she meets the lower class women who are going to North America for a chance to work or find husbands, she feels more kin towards them and cares about their treatment. Without giving too much away, she finds her passion on the ship in helping people and works to build a life for herself after they get to land.
The ending of this book was exactly what I was hoping for! It had closure, and was believable to the reader.
Thank you @Netgalley and @SimonandSchuster publishing for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Easy read, sweet story despite the hardships shared by the women of the era. You can not dismiss the hopeful disposition of the many who travelled long distances to start a new life. This book did not delve into the deep history of the Canadian west coast and this was disappointing to me. Still a good read but don't look to it for a historical learning experience.

This time period this book is written is one of my favorites. However, the subject matter is new to me. I wasn't aware that Brideships were sent to Canada nor that they went all around South America to land on Vancouver Island!
Overall an enjorable read. I would have liked a bit more about the Brideships and the program itself. While the main character was ultimately in no better situation than many of those women she was a mid upper class woman and was given opportunities they weren't. She wasn't actually one of the Brides even though the intention was for her to be married off to a respectable man.
I really enjoyed learning this ore about how the gold rush happened in Canada and how shared worked. I've been to many of the places mentioned in the book so it was interesting to have a story unfold about those tiny communities in the Fraser Canyon of B.C.

This was the perfect book to read before The International Women's Day. This was an unexpected gem. I was not aware of the Brideships that sailed from England to the New World during 1800's.
This ships carried young single women to British Columbia to be married to the single men in the colonies. The British government felt that bringing women in to marry these "wild" men would some how tame them and rein them in to live a proper British lifestyle.
Charolette is a young woman at the age that she should be married the problem is her father passed away and left no dowery for her or her sister. Harriet, her older sister, manages to marry well. Harriet's husband begins to push for Charolette to be wed. He would like her to marry a man that will help to better his position in the government.
I have often wondered how the people who moved to the new world could basically treat the native peoples as nonhuman. This book gave me much insight into the way of thinking of the time.
The Social pressure placed on women to marry and keep up appearances is astounding.
The conclusion of this book tells a bit more about these brave women who took on the journey to the new world. Not all wanted to find a husband in fact many were looking for a better life and a chance to make a life on their own.
This was a wonderful story and I hope that it becomes a classic.
Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy. I am so happy to read and review such a true gem.

Absolutely loved this book! I loved the strong, independent female character of Charlotte that was able to overcome her circumstances and make a better life for herself while helping others along the way. Truly a fascinating insight into what life would have/could have been like during that time period and journey.

Charlotte Harding is a woman ahead of her time with ideals and a mind for independence that a lady of her position in society ought not to have. When a party thrown by her sister and brother-in-law ends in a traumatic event that is twisted by the words of a callous man, Charlotte has no other choice but to leave the only world she has ever known, and journey to Vancouver from London to attempt to save face for her sister and brother-in-law.
First off, thank you so much Netgalley, Edelweiss+, and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of this book. I also want to fore-warn readers that there are scenes in the book that may be triggering to some people.
Let's talk about Charlotte. Leslie Howard has written such a beautiful, strong and amazing character for us to fall in love with. Charlotte is exactly the type of lady that I hope I would have been, had I lived in her time. Headstrong, with a temper, and not quite who society expects her to be. She does her best to fit in for her sister’s sake, but nothing can ever make someone with a brain, follow rules that have no common sense.
The beginning, the end, and a little in between. There were so many pieces of this book that made my heart soar, and then broke it into a million pieces. There were also parts that felt as if they would never end. I promise that if you push through those draggy spots, you will not be disappointed.
I would definitely recommend, if you are a fan of historical fiction with strong female characters, that you pick up a copy of this book when it hits the shelves. I will definitely be purchasing a copy of my own as it is one that I will want to read again.

This book is a definite must read for a time in history that isn't well known. I never knew about these brideships, fascinating! Highly recommend.

Charlotte and her sister Harriet live-in Victorian-era England. Harriet is married, but Charlotte has not found a husband. Some rules dictate what a woman can do in Victorian Society.




Eventually, Charlotte and her sister leave England to forge a new path and hopefully find a husband for Charlötte. They head to British Columbia. This is a story of strong women in challenging times. As the two women sail from England to British Columbia, they encounter different people and adventures.

Told from Charlotte's point of view, I learned about Victorian society and the roles of women during that time. I enjoyed this book. The characters we're were exciting and well developed.

Lovers of historical fiction will not be disappointed with this story of love life and the challenges of living as a woman in the Victorian era.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was inspired by the British "Brideships" in 1862 bringing brides to British Columbia, Canada. A well researched book on a forgotten part of history. It recounts the stories of these courageous women who left the homes they knew for the great unknown.

While it was a truly lovely read, the pace at the beginning could have been a bit faster to capture the reader from the start.

I’m not sure how to feel about this book. I love the premise; it’s not an area of history that I’ve read about before. Ms. Howard does add some history, enough to make it truly historical fiction. However, it has too much fluff which makes it much too long. I found myself skipping over descriptions of clothing and appearances of characters, I kept reading to find out Charlotte’s fate but that too was very predictable. It’s a good book for those who love historical fiction and don’t mind the fluff. I would have traded that for more historical background

Leslie Howard delivers a novel of the Brideship Tyndale that keeps readers entertained from beginning to end through the main character Charlotte. We first see Charlotte in England living with her sister and her husband. Through a series of events, her and her sister Harriett end up on their way to Vancouver Island on the Tyndale to start a new life.

On the ship, Charlotte meets Dr. Carson who she assists during the journey as a nurse despite her sister's protests. Charlotte's passion for healing helps introduce her to the lower class brides in steerage and to the various members of the ship's crew. She also meets Reverend John Crossman, a man who is on his way to the colonies to assist the native people's with battling the smallpox epidemic. He brings vaccines with him to try and prevent the spread of the disease.

Charlotte's journey continues through Vancouver Island and up into the British Columbia territory as she finds her place in this new world.

I recommend this book to others as it gives us a glimpse into the history of North America. Leslie Howard has an excellent debut novel and I'd love to see what she comes up with next!

Thank you #netgalley and #simonshuster for this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I absolutely loved this book! Wonderful read and I highly recommended it to my friends and family . A must read!

This is a first time read for me by Leslie Howard. When beginning my read of The Brideship Wife, I was tempted to stop as it was a bit slow. However, as I continued to read I found the story well-written and the story lovely.
I loved the history and how the plot flowed until ending. The descriptions and main characters were very nice and I became drawn into the story because of the writing. Very nicely done and would love to listen as an audio.

I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for this complimentary ARC. All opinions in this review are solely mine.

3.5 - Stars

Interesting historical fiction. Somewhat predictable but still entertaining. I did enjoy the characters and their story.

Charlotte Harding is one of the potential British brides bound for the colony of British Columbia. Unlike the majority of her fellow travelers, she had a more advantaged upbringing but has become dependent on an unscrupulous brother-in-law and a victim of a cruel assault. She must leave if she hopes to start anew. At first it seems Harriet, her sister, is accompanying her; as the long and arduous voyage continues, she receives notice of her husband’s accusations against her concerning adultery, divorce proceedings and remarriage. Charlotte has befriended the second-class women and grown close to them through her nursing talents. She arrives in the frontier towns with determination to achieve her dream, readiness to learn, and fierce devotion to the.memory of her loved ones. Leslie Howard has based her plot and characters on actual events and people, enriching the story of Charlotte and enlightening her readers on a unique period of history.

This book was so well done, the words flowed beautifully and the story was lovely. The world building was excellent and I could easily picture the setting and the main characters. I was sucked into this beautiful story from the get go and would definitely would reading something else from this author