About the Book

Book: The Farmer Takes a Wife

Author: Candice Sue Patterson

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release date: May 28, 2024

Librarian Gemma Breckenridge hates the spotlight. She’s content in her small town, living alone with books for company and caring for her once famous sister, Cammie, who’s now suffering from a degenerative brain disease. But Cammie’s care is expensive, and when the grant Gemma was counting on is denied, she’s forced to take desperate measures and applies to be a contestant on a reality television show where a wealthy farmer is looking for a love connection. What better place to keep her sister’s identity incognito than a thousand-acre farm in the middle of nowhere, South Dakota?

Colby Graham will do anything to save his almost bankrupt farm, even if it means that all of primetime will think he’s incapable of finding a wife on his own. The sponsorships alone should carry his business out of the red, and royalties from the producer will help to keep it there. But choosing a bride from among eight gorgeous strangers is tougher than Colby bargained for. Especially when the one woman he wants isn’t a contestant.

With a cast of vivid characters, join the crew in this witty romance filled with drama, heartache, elimination challenges, and fancy luggage full of secrets. Amid the beautiful setting of the Midwest, this tale unravels the tightly bound threads of sacrificial love.

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My Thoughts:

This was a fun story, and one that actually took me by surprise as well. I will admit that the premise of this story is not one that I actually like in real life. I do not enjoy reality TV shows, and I do not watch them. Just from the commercials or clips that I do see, I find them very fake and ridiculous. Why would a bunch of people compete for a happily ever after with one person? How would this marriage work out and would it be true love? But I will say this was an enjoyable read and made me look at those shows a little bit differently. No, I still won't be watching them but maybe there is a gem or two hiding in them.

Gemma is competing against seven other women to win the farmer's hand in marriage. She has her reasons, and they are more desperate than selfish. Her older sister is suffering from a very rare disease that is fatal. She is just trying to make what little time they have left more bearable.

Colby is trying to save his farm. That is why he is trying to find a wife. He also would like to love again after letting go of the woman of his dreams years ago. Can he find a love like that and more with someone else?

Then there is Stone, Colby's best friend and foreman. He thinks Colby is nuts but will stand by his best friend and support him anyway. But can he keep his heart from getting entangled in it all?

There was a lot of meat to this story. At times it was funny, others serious, and sometimes quite swoony. What people will do for love and family is no laughing matter.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Candice Sue Patterson studied at The Institute of Children’s Literature and is an elementary librarian. She lives in Indiana with her husband and three sons in a restored farmhouse overtaken by books. When she’s not tending to her chickens, snuggling with her Great Pyrenees, or helping children discover books they love, she’s working on a new story. Candice writes Modern Vintage Romance–where the past and present collide with faith.

More from Candice

Can you imagine signing up to marry someone you’d never met? Neither had my heroine Gemma Breckenridge until it was her last resort. This thought is what propelled me to write The Farmer Takes a Wife.

In 2009, I came across a reality TV dating show where several women from the city were invited to test out farm life in hopes of gaining a proposal from a farmer at the end. That show was called Farmer Wants a Wife. Though most of the episodes made me cringe, I thought it was a fantastic plot for a book. Since I write both historical and contemporary romance, I strive to put modern spins in my historical novels and vintage threads through my contemporary novels. What better vintage thread to drop into a modern-day rom com than a marriage of convenience trope?

But I didn’t want it to be the average marriage of convenience trope. I wanted something fresh. So, I put a spin on it, which brought about another spin, and before I knew it the story was taking a twist every few chapters.

The Farmer Takes a Wife is nine years in the making. After I wrote the first draft, I put it away for several years as book contracts were offered. I’d pull it out every now and then, polish it a bit, and then put it away again. In 2020, one month before the Covid pandemic rocked our world, I had finally completed it. With many workplaces shutting down, publishing houses were hesitant to offer new contracts. So, again, the story sat in my computer. At the end of last year, I decided I’d release the book myself this spring, shocked and delighted when the reality show Farmer Wants a Wife made a comeback after all those years! And it’s so much better than original season.

Perfect timing? Here’s hoping!

Join my cast and crew in Evangeline, South Dakota, for a wild ride of romance, drama, heartache, witty banter, and two hunky farmers. Yes, I said two. Did I mention this story had twists?