A Bride of Convenience (The Bride Ships, #3) by Jody Hedlund

ABOUT THE BOOK

Unemployed mill worker Zoe Hart jumps at the opportunity to emigrate to British Columbia in 1863 to find a better life and be reunited with her brother, who fled from home after being accused of a crime.

Pastor to miners in the mountains, Abe Merivale discovers an abandoned baby during a routine visit to Victoria and joins efforts with Zoe, one of the newly arrived bride-ship women, to care for the infant. While there, he's devastated by the news from his fiancee in England that she's marrying another man.

With mounting pressure to find the baby a home, Zoe accepts a proposal from a miner of questionable character after he promises to help her locate her brother. Intent on protecting Zoe and frustrated by his failed engagement, Abe offers his own hand as groom. After a hasty wedding, they soon realize their marriage of convenience is not so convenient after all.

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MY THOUGHTS.....

This is the third book in The Bride Ships series and each time, I've asked myself if I could board a ship, cross an ocean on a long, harrowing journey, and marry a man I had never met? Each time, after reading these stories, I have been reminded that these young women had no jobs and no promise of a husband and family, so why not take a chance?

A Bride of Convenience may be the sweetest story so far, simply because of the heroine Zoe Hart. Her caring and loving heart and her outward appearance certainly make her appealing to the bachelors eager to find brides in British Columbia but will she choose the right man? It doesn't take long for Pastor Abraham Merivale to discover how special Zoe is and he steps in to keep her from marrying a man who is corrupt and completely unsavory. Abe, however, believes that this is Christian duty, and Zoe soon realizes that her marriage will simply make her a bride of convenience.

Author Jody Hedlund has certainly created some memorable characters for this story. I loved seeing Zoe's love for children and her determination to keep a baby girl who has lost her native mother to death and her Canadian father to alcoholism. Remember, this was 1863 and people didn't accept mixed-blood heritage so four-month old Violet had no one to love and care for her. I enjoyed reading Zoe's reaction to this man who was too handsome to be a minister and I wondered if she could accept that this might be a marriage in name only.  I admired Abe for his Christian faith and his desire to lead everyone to Christ and not just cater to people judged worthy by the Bishop, but I did, however, agree with young Will's very wise statement about Abe and Zoe's relationship. "I don't know much about women, but any ole fool could see you made everyone else more a priority than her. You're always rushing around to help others, which is good. But maybe she don't think she matters."  Yes, Abe was a little dense concerning the young woman he had married!

This is an entertaining story filled with history, inspiration, and sweet romance. I highly recommend A Bride of Convenience!

I received a copy of this book from the author and Bethany House. There was no obligation to write a positive review and these are my honest thoughts.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Winner of the 2016 Christian Book Award and finalist for the Christy Awards, best-selling author Jody Hedlund writes inspirational historical romances for both youth and adults.

Jody lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy children, and five spoiled cats. Although Jody prefers to experience daring and dangerous adventures through her characters rather than in real life, she’s learned that a calm existence is simply not meant to be (at least in this phase of her life!).

When she’s not penning another of her page-turning stories, she loves to spend her time reading, especially when it also involves consuming coffee and chocolate.  You can find Jody at the following locations:

Discover more about Jody at her WebPage  
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