Eye of the Beholder by Ruth Ann Nordin

Mary Peters despairs that she will never marry. At nineteen, she has no prospects of finding a husband, so she takes matters into her own hands and becomes a mail-order bride. When she arrives to Omaha, Nebraska to meet the man she's due to marry, he takes one look at her homely appearance and rejects her.

But fate has other plans for Mary. Dave Larson happens to be nearby and thinks she will make a good wife. Though she is stunned that someone as handsome and as kind as Dave would ask her to marry him, she accepts. She knows that this marriage will not bear the fruits of love. Love, after all, is for beautiful women. Isn't it?

This was another OK read, it was fine to fill a few hours with but I don’t think I would have been able to handle it if it had been any longer.

Mary, at the grand old age of 19 can’t see herself ever getting married to any of the men in her area as she isn’t the prettiest girl on the block so she answers an ad in the paper, hops on a train and goes to meet her new husband. The husband in questions takes one look at her and immediately judges her by her appearance and refuses to marry her.

Another man over hears this and offers to marry Mary instead as he was going to but an ad in the paper looking for a wife anyway. And so begins the story.

I found some points in this book a bit slow and dull it does cover quite a fair amount of time but the time is glossed over with the ‘six weeks later…’ kind of thing.

Mary is painted as being a strong and independent young women but this does not remain constant as she allows others to walk over her if it prevent an upset. I would have liked it if she had a bit more of a spine in these situations.

Thankfully Dave - her husband – doesn’t take kindly to her being used by others and outs his foot down when needed.

So, yeah, OK read but not amazing.

2 out of 5 stars for me I think.