The January 2024 #TBRChallenge is "Once More with Feeling." I chose to interpret this as a second chance romance prompt, and dug into my Harlequin Historicals for a tried-and-true favorite author. I tend to hoard their backlists for when I especially need a strong read, and what better way to start this year's reading challenge than with a Cheryl St John title?

As the blurb implies, our leads have baggage galore. Tye Hatcher has returned to Aspen Grove, Colorado, after the Civil War. He's not sure why he returned to the town, given the fact that he's been ostracized practically since birth. His mother was a saloon girl and his father didn't even acknowledge his existence. He's always been on the outside looking in, and I guess he figured one place was as good as any to return after war. He's trying to save up some money to buy some land to start a rendering plant, but thus far has had no luck seeking gainful employment. The only place that will have him is the local saloon, where he plays the piano in the evenings.

Meg Telford is a beautiful young woman who was a town favorite even before marrying into the prosperous Telford family. Her husband, Joe, did not return alive from the war, and she's been in mourning ever since. She's at a crossroads: she and Joe bought a plot of land and a bunch of cattle before the war, trying to make it on their own as ranchers. Joe barely had time to build a house before being called for the war effort, and now Meg is down to her last dimes trying to keep hold of her land. Her husband's family is pressuring her to sell and move in with her mother-in-law, Edwina. Edwina has made mourning a Way of Life: first she donned the black for her own husband, and then for her beloved son, Joe. She wants Meg to move in with her and basically serve as a companion, but Meg wants desperately to hold onto Joe's dream of the ranch.

To that end, she comes to a conclusion: she needs a man to work the land and coax a profit. She can't afford to pay him, so she decides to offer a marriage of convenience instead. The only eligible man in town is Tye Hatcher, whom Meg knew as a child. Meg is perhaps the only respectable person in town willing to give Tye a chance, aside from the Reverend. She thinks long and hard and decides to offer marriage - and her property - to him. It will save her from having to sell the rest of her furniture to pay the mortgage and will get Edwina & co off her back about selling.

Meanwhile, Tye has been approached by an old friend, Lottie, who is dying and wants him to take guardianship of her young daughter, Eve. Lottie plays on Tye's emotions to achieve this end, knowing how strongly he feels about being a fatherless child, and wanting to shield an innocent from such a fate. He agrees to take Eve, even though he can barely support himself, much less a child.

Meg's proposal comes just in time. Tye is shocked, and warns her that if he marries her, she will also be ostracized by the town. Meg is desperate enough to not care. They agree to marry, and Tye will move onto Meg's ranch. With her land and her stock, the rendering plant will be even more successful, even sooner - if they can make it through the season and keep the cattle alive long enough to be sold.

Meg doesn't quite believe Tye about the town turning their backs on her, but she gets a taste of it firsthand at their wedding, when nobody attends except her farm hands (her sister-in-law sneaks in, too, behind her husband's back, but only for a very short period). Meg is shocked, but swallows her pride and moves forward. She's struck her bargain and she's going to stick with it.

The dead husband, Joe, is a huge wedge between them. Meg loved him dearly and is not quite ready to let his memory go. Tye is jealous of this, and because Joe kept providing for her even beyond the grave: he sent home a pair of exquisite horses that Tye decides to stud out, covering some of their immediate monetary needs. Joe also built Meg a house and started the ranch, and Tye wonders how he could ever take his "rightful" place on the ranch that's now his.

Lottie dies soon after Tye and Meg wed, and Tye is forced to tell Meg about Eve. Meg balks at taking in a whore's illegitimate daughter, but Tye insists and brings Eve to the ranch. Meg softens towards the child, but becomes jealous of the bond that Tye and Eve forge. She fights with herself about her feelings, her memories, and her own pride, especially when she sees how shabbily the rest of the townspeople treat Eve.

There's a LOT of baggage to go around, and a lot of things that could've been solved if Tye and Meg had bothered talking to each other instead of making assumptions. Once they do being talking, tensions ease, at least between them. They decide to adopt Eve, legitimizing her and taking away the stigma that Tye labored under as a kid. They have a successful breeding season with the cattle and the horses. Tye even manages to buy back the ring that Meg had to sell at the beginning of their marriage to cover a mortgage payment, even though he does it in secret by returning to town to play nights in the saloon, leaving Meg to think the worst.

There's a lot to sink your teeth into, and a lot to mull over. Tye and Meg both deal with feelings of insecurity, jealousy, pride, shame, and humiliation. The author pulls no punches at how awfully the town (and Meg's family, led by Edwina) treat them all, even little Eve. There is an excellent moment of catharsis when Meg confronts her former mother-in-law about the terrible things she's saying about Meg and how Joe WOULD NEVER if he was still alive.

For all the awesome, there is some "meh" as well. Meg's absolute lack of knowledge of the marriage bed was unbelievable, considering she was happily married. She didn't know sex was supposed to be fun?! WTF?? Their own pleasure was basically the only thing women in 1865 had to call their own and no one else's, but Meg spends most of the book feeling ashamed for how lusty she feels over Tye, her own husband. (Yeah, okay.) She also apparently didn't know anything about the signs and symptoms of pregnancy. I just can't buy that a woman who is otherwise intelligent has absolutely no knowledge of her own body.

It is also disappointing that Tye has to make a Grand Gesture at the end to be accepted by the town, much less Edwina and the rest of the Telfords. Grand Gestures are some of my least favorite plot devices, and I kinda wanted them to keep forging their own way and to hell with those who were prejudiced against them. But, that's me. Obviously Tye proves his worth to the town, and to his wife, and they all live happily ever after.

It's another strong showing by Ms St John, and another great, meaty Western historical that hits all the feels. It was a great book to start this challenge with, and gives me hope for the rest of the prompts! ( )

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒.5
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞.5
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨

First Impressions
Joe's Wife is a book that I saw mentioned in one of the historical romance groups that I am a part of and I decided to try this one out as this is an author that I have been wanting to pick up for quite some time now. I found Joe's Wife to be a endearing romance that was beyond sweet and heart endearing with just the right level of poignant emotion that really balanced out the story so well. I really fell hard for this one, and while this is not close to a perfect read, it was just right for the mood that I was in for. If you are looking for a sweet western that has low angst for the most part than I recommend this one here.

First Line
I'm tellin' ya the same thing I told ya last week an' the week before--there aint no job for ya here."

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Tye Hatcher
The town's outcast, saloon piano player, solider in the war, born out of wedlock and has been shunned by the town all of his life and just looking for a fresh start.

The Heroine: Meg Talford
Meg is a widow of a prominant family in the town, she is determined to keep her late husband's dream of a ranch alive and proposes a marriage to the one man that won't be able to turn her down but has always been kind to her.

Summary
Meg is a recent widow and she loved her husband Joe most of her life, they were the typical friends to lovers set up. She tolerated his family, but Joe was the man that she admired and would do anything to make his dream come alive. When he died, she refused to sell the land as his family desired of her. But in order to keep the ranch going, she will need to marry someone that is strong and hardworking and she knows of one man that would fit the bill. Tye Hatcher is the town reject. Ever since he was born, he has been denied a honest chance. After serving in the war, he came back wanting a fresh start, and is barely making it playing the piano part time. When Meg makes a proposal to him, he knows he can't resist it, as its his one chance to keep his dreams alive. But his new wife Meg, is a woman that is still in love with her late husband, and it will take time and trust and honesty for Meg and Tye to find a beautiful love they both have dreamed of...

What I Loved
There was quite a bit that I enjoyed about this story. Its a super sweet read. It does have some relationship angst, but its moderate and its more reasonable and very relatable to the circumstances that both of them find themselves in. I would say if you loved "Eyes of Gold" than this is a book that would definitely work for you. I adored this sweet beta hero. He is so hardworking but has such a kind soul. He has been treated so badly by the town, and only Joe and his wife Meg treated him with kindness. Meg doesn't know what to do about the town's narrowmindness including that of her in laws, but she is determined to make Tye know he is of worth. I really adored both Tye and Meg. Even though there are some misunderstandings between them, what I also loved was seeing that they do communicate when it matters and don't let things fester between them. And man that ending and that suspense at the end really thew me and kept me on the edge. I definitely found so much to love this story and it was just a sweet heartwarming western romance that I was searching for.

What I Struggled With
There isn't much, I do wish that this book had a bit more emotional depth to it. It was on the surface a beautiful romance, but it could have used a bit more conflict outside of the relationship and the development of the relationship wasn't quite fully executed as strongly as the story begins could have used a bit more finality to it in the end. Its not a five star read, but a solid story to enjoy if you are in the right mood for this one.

Overall View
I found Joe's Wife to be a endearing poignant romance that lifts the heart, inspires the spirit and delivers beautiful emotion at just the right moments.

Favorite Quote(s)
“I don’t reckon anyone does, Tye. You just sort of have to learn it as you go along. And as long as you’re trying to do what’s best for them, you can’t go too far wrong.”

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Historical Romance, American West, Reconstruction Era
Character Types: Rancher, Widow, Bad Boy
Themes: Small Town, Kids, Western
Tropes: Marriage of Convenience

Book Perspective
3rd POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
More Relationship Conflict and Less of a Plot Conflict

Song This Book Inspires
Marry Me by Thomas Rhett

Steam/Spice Explanations

Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments. ( )

This is my favorite so far from this author. I thought that both of the main characters were very well written with believable motivations. Tye is a lovely man one of the sort that most women would like to have. Meg was very well done also. She was aware of her limitations which was realistic for the times. I don't like books where the heroine is too modern in her thinking/acting when the book is an historical. There were a couple of times that something anachronistic crept in but they were minor. Not a lot of description to set the place firmly in my mind but it was so much a relationship story that lack of detail didn't bother me much. A really satisfying read. ( )

Returning to his home town of Aspen Grove Colorado after the end of the Civil War, Tye Hatcher found that nothing had changed. The people who had shunned him as a child did so again making it impossible to find a job and save the money that he needs to build his dreams. The war had taken a lot of good men and one of them was Joe Telford, leaving his young wife (Meg) a new widow with a ranch to take care of. Not knowing of any other way to keep the ranch going any longer, Meg Telford approached Tye with an unlikely proposal of marriage as a business proposition. If she could find a way to save Joe’s ranch with his help, she would sacrifice anything.

Harlequin Historicals to me are like going home, I really enjoy them and this one is no exception. I really enjoyed the style and the atmosphere of this book, with its setting in 1865 and the limited amount of characters, each one was so well developed and the interactions were expected but still delightful. I really liked the way each one of them had strength of character and deep emotions without being overbearing or a pushover. ( )

Meg Telford is a young widow whose husband Joe died in the war leaving her to run their small ranch near Aspen Grove with only a couple of old cowboys. Her in-laws want her to sell it and move back into town to live with them. But Meg values her independence and does not want to let go of Joe's ranch. Tye Hatcher is a war veteran who returns after the war to Aspen Grove, the home of his birth. Tye grew up a bastard son of a prostitute who is now dead in order to fulfill his dream of earning enough money to start his own packing plant. The town has always treated him poorly and when he returns to town after the war they still treat him like dirt and he has a difficult time finding work of any kind. This was the only part of the story that just did not work for me. Why would anyone return to a place where he is treated like a pariah? He could have gone anywhere after the war and no one would have known his background, but instead he comes back for more punishment.

Meg has a mortgage payment due and has been selling off anything of value in order to hang onto the ranch. But her options are running out. Since she can't afford to pay any more ranch hands, she decides she needs a husband to work hard and help get the ranch financially stable. But since it's after the war, men of marriageable age are scarce. She decides to propose marriage to Tye. He will help her with the ranch in exchange she will help him with his dream of a packing plant if they make enough money. Tye feels he cannot refuse such an opportunity to realize his dream. They marry and cause quite a scandal in town.

The love that slowly develops between them is beautifully written and very emotional. Tye is a wonderful, wounded and courageous man. Although he has thoughts that he is not good enough for Meg, he shows his worth to Meg and the entire town. St. John is spare in her writing but the emotion she conveys is very powerful. Tye promises the town prostitute on her death bed to raise her daughter. So five-year old Eve comes to live with Tye and Meg. Tye is not sure who the father is but he suspects. Tye has always felt excluded and alone. When Meg confronts him about the paternity of Eve in a climatic scene near the end of the book, I went straight for my Kleenex box. Meg is also a wonderful, compassionate character. She is the only one in town who always treated Tye with respect. Slowly she comes to stop thinking of herself as Joe's wife and starts thinking of herself as Tye's wife. (Grade: A-) ( )