Reviewing: A Reluctant Bride by Jody Hedlund

A Reluctant Bride by Jody Hedlund is a wonderful story about bringing brides from England to British Columbia in 1862.  The women who boarded the Tynemouth did so not knowing what their fate would be upon their arrival.  They left all behind and there would be no turning back once the ship sailed.

Our heroine, Mercy Wilkins, knew she was just one more burden to her family if she stayed at home and wasn't going to settle for life in the workhouse or on the streets.  But marriage was definitely not in he plans.  She was a gifted nurse, with no formal training except love for others and the desire to care for the sick.  It was her talent for nursing that led the wealthy Dr. Joseph Colville to seek her assistance among the sick aboard ship.   Working side by side worked out well for some time since they both had no intention of marrying.  The best intentions, however, don't work out at times.

I like this book because at the heart of this story is a young woman who had very little that she left behind.  She saw what her parent's lives were like with little or nothing coming in to support a large family.  Poverty caused her mother to do things that Mercy never wanted to emulate in her own life.  It took courage for  her to swallow her pride and board ship.  She, like the real life women who left England to help settle the western part of our world blazed the trail for life as we know it today.  This book is Mercy's story but there were others on board that ship and not all were poor, at least not financially.  For whatever reason that led the women to seek that new life, they were all starting over from scratch, with no class or society to dictate.

Once again, Jody Hedlund has written an amazing historical novel that I recommend with 5 stars. Her research, as usual, is impeccable and the story is one that is very compelling.  A Reluctant Bride is Book one in The Bride Ships series and already, I am eagerly waiting for the release of book two, The Runaway Bride in March 2020!
 

Stories From the Past... Ladies of Intrigue by Michelle Griep

3 Page-Turners Under One Cover from Reader Favorite Michelle Griep!
Can truth and love prevail when no one is as they appear?

The Gentleman Smuggler’s Lady
Cornish Coast, 1815
When a prim and proper governess returns to England from abroad, she expects to comfort her dying father—not fall in love with a smuggler. Will Helen Fletcher keep Isaac Seaton’s unusual secret?

The Doctor’s Woman (A Carol Award Winner!)
Dakota Territory, 1862
Emmy Nelson, daughter of a missionary doctor, and Dr. James Clark, city doctor aspiring to teach, find themselves working side by side at Fort Snelling during the Dakota Uprising. That is when the real clash of ideals begins.
  A House of Secrets
St. Paul, Minnesota, 1890
Ladies Aide Chairman, Amanda Carston resolves to clean up St. Paul’s ramshackle housing, starting with the worst of the worst: a “haunted” house that’s secretly owned by her beau—a home that’s his only means of helping brothel girls escape from the hands of the city’s most infamous madam.

...my thoughts...

I had an opportunity to read The Gentleman Smuggler's Lady once before and was pleased to find it among this collection. Helen was to travel aboard ship to help her ailing father but got much more than she bargained for. Pirates....and a handsome one at that, set her heart roiling like the sea itself. Things are not always as they seem so this story takes a surprising turn as Helen earns her niche as an intriguing lady. Sometimes a novella can be too short to capture the heart of the story but not so for The Gentleman Smuggler's Lady. 

The Doctor's Woman, set in Fort Snelling is a testament of Michelle's talent as a writer of historical fiction set in military outposts in middle America. Harsh conditions tested the mettle of the men who served and the courageous women who joined their husbands far from conventions of society. The story of Emmy and James is one such story, but what sets this novella apart from others is how they came to work together.  Their love was not found in  ballrooms nor cotillions but among the caring way they cared for the Dakota women and children encamped at Fort Snelling. This is heartwarming and a worthy read for those who enjoy American Historical fiction.

A House of Secrets is a glimpse into the "Gay Nineties" when lovely young ladies belonged to "well intentioned" organizations based on service projects and planned social events to improve the lot of the less fortunate. By and large the members were protected from the unpleasant side of life and followed the norms of decorum of the day.  Amanda Carston, new chair for the Ladies Aide Society was not so demure as to sip tea when she had goals to achieve for the annual service project. She meant to start school for the poor and was willing to go to great lengths to achieve her goal.

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 Her fiancee was involved with his own project and the timing of his plans nearly collide with hers. As City Attorney, his job was on the line and his investigation of shady characters keeps this story going. This story has seemingly complex characters but Amanda was pretty predictable, albeit sweet. She learned a lot while pursuing her service project, and found out the hard way what a dedicated man Joseph was to her. I enjoyed the way Michelle tied up the tangled web of good intentions and misunderstandings.

If you like historical fiction, I recommend Ladies of Intrigue with 4 stars. I found this collection a good traveling companion on a very long flight.

Add The Christmas Prayer by Wanda Brunstetter Sure to Be An Annual Christmas Gift

...from the publisher....

Beloved, bestselling author of Amish fiction, Wanda E. Brunstetter takes readers on a journey in 1850 along the California Trail.

 
Only the brave—or foolhardy—would attempt a cross-country journey late in the season. Three wagons meet up in Independence, Missouri, in April 1850, and their owners decide to keep forging ahead despite many setbacks and delays. December finds them in the Sierra Nevada Mountains when a sudden snowstorm traps them, obscuring the trail.
 Cynthia Cooper is traveling with her mother and the man she has promised to marry. But as Christmas is upon them and they are hunkered down in a small cabin, she is forced to reevaluate her reasons for planning to marry fellow-traveler Walter Prentice. When a widowed father heading to a California ranch and a gold prospector both show an interest in Cynthia, she weighs her dreams for marriage alongside her responsibility to care for her mother. Can love win over her timid heart?

....my thoughts.....

If you enjoy reading Wanda Brunstetter's books you will also enjoy A Christmas Prayer.  Many women kept diaries in covered wagons along the trail west.  What a treasure if I found one among my grandparents things when I was young. I enjoyed reading Cynthia's accounts in this story while the characters came alive as they chopped wood, argued and learned to work and live together in order to survive under unimaginable circumstance.  

Each person had a reason for their journey.  After months of enduring hardships these reasons shifted.  Certain plans were no longer concrete.  I enjoyed the resiliency and strength of character as it emerged for Cynthia. She began as a young woman eager to find security with Walter to emerging into a strong woman ready to strike out on her own if need be.

We are so used to Wanda Brunstetter writing Amish fiction that this book is a wonderful surprise.  I recommend A Christmas Prayer as a gift-worthy book for anyone on your gift list who loves historical fiction and a copy for yourself!  

Another Success: Minding the Light by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Suzanne Woods Fisher's Minding the Light will capture your imagination from page one onward.  The characters are lively and not what you might expect from the black and white pages of your history books about Quakers.

A coveted journal from one of the first white settlers on Nantucket Island makes its way into book two of the Nantucket legacy series.  Written by Mary Coffin Starbuck, who wrote about her life in the 17th century, her days seemed to parallel the life of her forbears.

Captain Reynold Macy had much to look forward to when he returned home after a six year voyage. What waited for him on arrival was more than he bargained for.  The story unfolds it is certain that the life he dreamed of with his young wife Jane was never going to be what he imagined. The ship's hold was full and should turn a profit. His cousin and business partner Tristram Macy, had looked after his business affairs so all would be well.

His young sister-in-law, Daphne, was about to become engaged to Tristram. She had been helping Jane manage the large house on Orange Street where all fine captains lived.  Her heart was with her family, and although her mother was pushing her engagement, she was reluctant to set her heart fully on the match. 

I meant to read only a few pages as the hour was late when I began, but soon found the time had moved along until I was well into the third chapter before I had to put it down.  I was looking forward to this book since I read the sneak peek in Phoebe's Light.  The Quaker faith in this series is inspiring as it relates to bringing forth the light.  Jane, and her sister Daphne have a strong faith and live their lives accordingly. However, while the Quakers considered themselves "Friends"  they also do not welcome the native population or blacks into the polite society of their meetings.  This is very evident with their own mother, Lillian Coffin, whose standards are so different than her daughters. 

I recommend Minding the Light with 5 stars for those who love historical fiction.  The characters are engaging and the plot well written. 

Together Forever A Ride You Won't Forget

Last spring, since reading With You Always by Jody Hedlund, I have been anticipating the release of Together Forever, Book 2 in the Orphan Train Series. This series tells the story of children who were either orphans or from families who could no longer care for them. The financial crisis in New York, 1857, left many factory workers in dire straits worse than the tenement lifestyles we can only imagine today. Living on the streets was dangerous and many safeguards today were unheard of then. Charles Loring Brace founded the Children's Aid Society in 1853. This was an incredible movement and many children placed with families went on to live lives that would have been unheard of had they stayed in the poverty that laced the streets of New York City.

It must have been frightening for the children who rode the train to new homes and families. Placing agents, like Andrew Brady and Marianne Neumann supervised all aspect of the journey from the preparing for the trip, supervising the ride, placing the children with families and checking in with them at a later date. It must have taken a special person to be an agent and I believe Marianne and Drew fit that role well.

Marianne and Drew both had secrets from their past that they were reluctant to share with each other. It is only with the realization of true love that one can relinquish their fears only to discover that those who love us can do so without reservation. It is within that safety net that understanding and faith for the other reside.

Drew was indomitable in his pursuit of her. No reminders of her implied engagement to Reinhold could dissuade him. He was falling for her yet he wouldn't tell her because he just knew he was unworthy of her. He believed his past, once she found out, would stop any chance he may have had in winning her heart.

Marianne admired Drew. He was a wonderful agent and had such a way with the children, especially the older boys, who could easily get under her skin. It wasn't easy to be a young woman who was not much older than 15 year-old Liverpool. He was hardened after living on the streets since he arrived in New York alone at a tender age. He knew he could get to Marianne and it was Drew who stepped in and kept the young man in check.

She could easily fall for Drew, a handsome, capable man, but she reminded herself often that she took her job with the Children's Aid Society solely to find Sophie. Besides, if he found out that she had "lost" Sophie he wouldn't want anything more to do with her. She was determined to concentrate on the children she was responsible for as her job as a placing agent. The children came first to both of them.

It is only when tragedy strikes and one of them is on the line with responsibility, they find more than anything just how much they were united through the children. In a surprising turn of events, Marianne proves much stronger than I would have guessed. She reached an independent maturity that helps her rise above what she perceives are her dark past.

I recommend Together Forever with 5 stars. The writing is what I expected from Jody Hedlund. Her research is thorough, and her characters are well developed and come alive. My heart was with the children who expressed their fears and delights. The wit between Drew and Marianne was filled with humor yet they were very intentional in other aspects of their roles as agents. Their story and the story of the children riding the train is worth reading!