Wife Number Seven by Melissa Brown

Hey everyone,

I realise Wife Number Seven has been reviewed a lot, however, I’m going to add my pennies worth of thoughts to the pile. Because a romance story about a married mormon woman has to be discussed! I’ll admit this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I personally loved it. The story is mainly told from the perspective of Brinley, who as the title suggests is married to a man with a lot of other wives, not exactly a dream come true for most of us, or the heroine Brinley.

The book:

Lipstick. Bright, red lipstick. Nothing but lipstick. 

Even though it’s against our faith to wear a color that screams of sexual promiscuity and deviant behavior, I’m not allowed to protest. 

But, I want to. 

So badly. 

You see, there’s more to me than the braid that spills down my back. 

More to me than the layers of heavy fabric that maintain my modesty. 

And so much more than the oppressive wedding band that adorns my finger--the same band that each of my sister wives wear. 

So much more. 

To protest would be sinful. 

I must keep sweet, that is my duty. 

So I’ll wear the lipstick. I’ll do as I’m told. 

And I’ll do my best to silence the resistance within me, to push him from my mind. 

If only my heart would do the same.

My Thoughts:

This book is a romance, obviously, and I loved the interactions between Brinley and Porter but for me the main reason I loved this book was due to Brinley’s journey from unhappy mormon wife to freedom with the ‘damned’. The book is mainly from Brinley’s POV and because of this you really get to know her us a character. You understand how conflicted she is about her faith, her marriage and even her feelings for Porter. I loved Brinley’s inner dialogue, it was dramatic and thoughtful and intense and it made me extremely happy reading it!

“I was tired of resisting feeling like an actual person, rather than just a cog in a wheel”

Of course part of Brinley’s journey of self-discovery is made possible because of her relationship with Porter. I loved Brinley and Porter as a couple. Now I’ll admit Porter was flawed, he’d been exiled from the mormon community and hadn’t exactly coped very well in the outside world. Drugs, drinking, stealing and general time wasting but deep down he was a good person. He cared about Brinley, and he understood the dilemma she was in because he had been brought up in the same community. Brinley’s life in the Cluff household is miserable and yet its what she’s been brought up to expect and the mormon life is all she’s known. Change or escape from that life is a scary prospect and one that Brinley struggles with throughout the book. Yet throughout her journey Porter is there to support her and even push her when needed.

“That place... it’s my hell. But I’d go into hell for you, Brin, no questions asked. I’d do it again and again to make you mine”

I’ll admit Porter melted my heart a little. He was romantic, affectation and just a good boyfriend to Brinley. He saw her as a person, and forced her to see herself as a person. He was her guide into the outside world, both the good and the bad. I realise this book could push a lot of people’s buttons as it features polygamy, cheating and domestic abuse but for me Porter’s and Brinley love for each other and their relationship is worth all the other mess. Not only that but I found the insight, or the portrayal of the mormon community in Wife Number Seven fascinating. We’re shown both Brinley’s disillusionment from the mormon faith but also the insight of other members of the community. We’re even given a brief chapter from Porter’s viewpoint. I really liked how the author interweaved all these different perspective without detracting from the main plot of Brinley and Porter’s relationship.

I would recommend this book to anyone as I truly think it is a unique and extremely interesting story of love conquering all.

My rating:

Happy reading everyone and see you next time!