Set in a very interesting world. Not without flaws, but nonetheless enjoyable. ( )

This may be the first and only time that I'll say this, so everyone should take advantage of it-I was wrong, my mother was right. For years, my mother has been urging me to read fantasy and science fiction novels, to branch out of my safe cocoon of romance books and thrillers. She's touted the works of Wen Spencer as being some of the best, and yes, now that I've had the privilege of reading A BROTHER'S PRICE, I announce to the world that my mom was, as usual, correct.

Kudos to Ms. Spencer for getting me so worked up with this book that I'm now compelled to seek out her entire backlist! With A BROTHER'S PRICE, we enter a world in which it's not oil, gold, or money that have the highest monetary value, but men. Men, as in male children born to mothers-an event that happens so rarely that male offspring are often hidden from everyone but immediate family, and that many of these children are treated as a commodity, bought, sold, traded, and sometimes stolen outright.

For the women of Wen Spencer's make-believe world-which, by the way, reads as oh-so-probable-having a male child is cause for celebration, joy, and secrecy. Due to miscarriages, still births, and unexplained circumstances, women have no trouble giving birth to a multitude of female offspring, but a boy is a very rare occurrence indeed.

For Jerin Whistler, a boy who's near to coming of age and the dreadful thought of being sold into a marriage of his sisters' choosing, taking care of a multitude of younger siblings isn't enough of a life. Taking care of the family farm-when's he let out of his sisters' sight-isn't the kind of life he'd imagined for himself, either. But with so many siblings, the majority of whom are girls, Jerin sees no other life but allowing himself to be sold into marriage for a "brother's price," gaining his sisters monetary gain to continue their way of life.

When a mysterious young woman named Ren is left for dead in the wilderness of the Whistler property, Jerin knows that it's his duty to bring the woman to safety and ease her back to health. What a surprise it is when he discovers that the beautiful Ren, for whom he's quickly falling in love, is none other than Princess Rennsellaer. For Jerin's family, all of whom are well-meaning despite their sometimes crass attitudes, Jerin's rescue of a true-blooded Princess is the chance they've been waiting for. All they need to do is return Ren to her royal family, arrange for her marriage to Jerin, and the family will be set for life.

As most stories go, however, nothing is ever that simple. Jerin finds himself swept up into royal politics, where some women will stop at nothing to make sure that men are never allowed into positions of power. As Ren and Jerin grow more deeply in love, as tempers rise within the royal family, and as continued attempts to kidnap the Princess need to be thwarted, Jerin realizes that marrying for love might not be as easy as he'd hoped.

I loved this book! A twist on the typical royal princess who wants to wait for her "one true love," Wen Spencer's world of too many women and too few men is all too believable. Jerin is a hero that anyone would be proud of, not only for his bravery and devotion, but for his desire to do whatever it takes to keep those he loves safe.

To my mom, thanks again for being right! And to Ms. Spencer, thanks for such a fabulous book. ( )

Before I say more, I want to say that I enjoyed this. I just wish I had enjoyed it more. It's listed on the spine as Science Fiction and the author is known for her SF series Ukiah Oregon as well as a fantasy novel or two. The only thing about this book that fits the SF genre is the role reversal of the sexes.

Men in this tale, which is set at past-like time from present-day Earth, are far outnumbered by the women and are, therefore, treasured. They're coddled and groomed to be sold into marriage. They take care of the children, lots and lots of children, they father with many, often dozens of wives. They are fairly docile and most can't read. Jerin is an exception in many ways.

After he helps rescue a princess who's been attacked, he comes to the attention of her sister Ren who falls in love with him and him with her. But given their disparate social standings, a union between them and her sisters is unlikely to be allowed. Except....

There's political intrigue, lots of "romance novel" situations made a tad uncomfortable with the young male character in the typical woman's role, and an air of predictability about this book. I figured out most of it ahead of the revelations, yet the revelations I was longing for didn't come. If these are humans, why are male births so few when in reality, the births of males to females is almost equal? Why do the men act so docile? It can't be lack of testosterone, because they look manly enough, despite hair kept long and clothes more feminine than not, and their equipment works just fine.

If not for the simple fact that a woman could not service so many men at once and keep up the population thusly, the roles could be reversed without much affecting the story. I could figure out if a point was being made or if the author simply had an idea and ran with it. The characters are likeable enough, but I never cared for them the way I do her characters in the Ukiah books. I don't like reading about fainting females and I like it just as little when it's the men doing the fainting, so to speak (actually, he vomited, rather than fainted). I kept waiting for resentful men to make an appearance or for a male uprising or some such, but the story focused on Jerin, and Ren, alternating between their povs. And that led to another problem. The lack of suspense.

Scenes with Jerin showing he was alive, when followed by scenes of Ren worrying that he was dead, instead of coming after the Ren scenes, diluted the tension. We the readers know he's alive so the suspense isn't there the way it could have been. Without that, the book has to rely on other factors to keep the story flowing. What works best for it is the breezy writing style that makes for fast reading. There certainly were few or no surprising plot twists to fill that role.

One thing that struck me in this sex reversal is that somehow, the male gets to play hero. If the purpose is to show how harmful denying equal rights and privileges to one sex can be, I missed it. If the point was to portray women as strong and men as weak, that didn't quite hit the mark, either, as it was Jerin's specialness, the training his sister's gave him in self-defense and such that enabled him to help save himself and others. While he had to rely on the women, he still provided the necessary means to their escape and he was the one who helped uncover the truth about assassinations the royal family suffered prior to the story. I suppose if Jerin had been female, this would have shown how resourceful women can be in a world where females aren't granted equality, but here, with the male in the female role, it just seemed silly.

A half dozen or so, that I spotted, grammatical errors that have plagued Spencers Ukiah books surfaced here, with sentences with repeated words ("he" before and after the verb, for ex) and other odd constructions, indicating poor editing or proofing.

I suppose a good test of a book is whether or not one would read a sequel. I would read one to this, but mostly to see if some of my questions are answered. If you're looking for a quick read, a book that poses an interesting situation and you don't mind that its potential isn't fulfilled, you might enjoy this. It can certainly help pass a lazy, hazy summer day. ( )

Okay, I enjoyed this, so sue me. It was the literary equivalent of eating a can of frosting with a spoon, but that can be a nice indulgence from time to time. Nothing too challenging or surprising, but a world where handsome men are demure and do the cooking and cleaning is a nice place to visit. Clocking in at a day, my time invested in reading it was worth the return. ( )

Intriguing concept for a world - women outnumber men nearly 10:1 - with engaging characters and a satisfyingly complex plot. ( )