Feature Book: The Trader’s Wife
The Trader’s Wife by Anna Jacobs
The Trader’s Wife is the first book in Anna’s new series, The Traders, set in the Orient and the Swan River Colony in the 1860s. The story begins with Isabella Saunders trying to find employment in Singapore after her parents have died and she is left with no family to help. After a number of disappointments in her job hunt and being evicted from her rented room she agrees to take on a position with the Lee family. She agrees to teach them English to assist them in their trading business in exchange for a wage and accommodation. Over time she becomes part of the family but she can’t stop thinking about her cousin who ran off with a man who then didn’t marry her. The cousin has disappeared but Isabella worries for her and needs to know she is okay as she is the only family she has left.
When Bram Deagan ventures to Singapore from the Swan River Colony to look into the opportunities available for him to find trading goods, he rescues Isabella from a street attack and is introduced to the Lees. Together with his friend, Captain Dougal McBride, Bram spends time with the Lees and Isabella who accept them as good men. Mr Lee asks them to be partners in his trading business and tells Bram he should marry Isabella so she can go to the Swan River Colony to find her cousin and help him in his business. Isabella and Bram agree to this proposal and they marry just before they sail.
When they arrive in Fremantle, Bram introduces Isabella to his friends (some of the characters from Anna’s Swan River Saga, which is an added bonus for readers) and soon finds a building for their bazaar and a home for them. As they work to prepare their business for opening, Isabella’s cousin comes to the colony, a penniless widow with a small child and moves in with them. This causes some tension in the household as the cousin appears unable to want to do anything and Isabella finds out she’s pregnant. The Deagans’ life becomes more complicated as they take on workers and some old enemies come back to cause trouble.
This story has something happening on every page, which keeps you turning them looking to see what happens next. Bram and Isabella are great characters and the ensemble of secondary characters flow easily with some quite complicated plots flowing well around the central story. This also gives the reader a number of questions and certainly left me wondering when Ms Jacobs will release her next book so I can go back and visit these people again to see what they have been up to.
reviewed by Tracey T
A review copy of this book was provided by the author. All ARRA members who leave a comment on this review will go in the draw to win the book. this giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Nicole!
THE TRADER’S WIFE looks like a wonderful read. Yes please!!
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Wow, can’t wait to read it as it sounds not only intriguing but exotic as well.
This is really2 a very interesting historical romance book. Never before a historical romance was mainly take place in Singapore. Cool
. Am enthusiastic to read about Singapore ib that era aretha_zhen@yahoo.com
Lots of interesting threads here. I love stories with interwoven threads – complex stories in other words. I have seen a few mentions about Trader’s Wife and have wondered what it was all about.
Awesome cover, Anna. Love it.
I love this era books thanks for this review Tracey
Barbara
I recently heard about Anna Jacobs’s books and I was wondering which rock I had been hiding under. I adore stories about family sagas and era settings. I found some of her long-standing series and tracked down the first one of the series in my local library. I’m looking forward to that one and The Trader’s Wife sounds like a great read. Thank you for the chance to read it.
I love Anna’s books, especially the ones set in this era.
Sounds complicated and interesting. The books I’ve read set at least partly in Singapore have always been contemporaries so it would be interesting to read one in a historical setting.
Aimee
(nonmoty)