Finally His Bride by Jody Hedlund

 

A new world. A new hope. An unexpected love. What life awaits these brides?

I became fully invested in the characters right away, and their lives growing up together in Manchester, England. Things got especially tough there and Willow's father signed her up to leave for a bride ship to Vancouver Island the next morning. Caleb couldn't take being separated from her so found a way to follow. I cared so much that I would have written them a story myself from there if necessary. But their story is beautiful as they both learn to grow and make a new life. Some very tense and dangerous times; can be hard to put down. Such a beautiful place to start over, with great opportunities to start a new and better life if you want to work hard.  Excellent read. I highly recommend reading the Bride Ships series. 

I received this book free from the author and Just Read Publicity Tours book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Twitter – @jodyhedlund @SunrisePublish @justreadtours

Facebook – @authorjodyhedlund, @sunrisemediagroup, & JustRead Publicity Tours

Instagram – @jodyhedlund @sunrisemediagroup @justreadtours

#justreadtours #finallyhisbride #jodyhedlund #brideshipsnewvoyages #sunrisepublishing #susanmaywarren #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #ChristianHistoricalRomance

Purchase link: https://amzn.to/3udyCXu #ad

Series: Bride Ships: New Voyages 1

Publisher: Sunrise Publishing

Release Date: February 13, 2024

Genre: Historical Romance

A new world. A new hope. An unexpected love.

What life awaits these brides?

With the cotton mills closed and hunger rampant in Manchester, England, Willow Rhodes’s family encourages her to join the bride ship bound for the Pacific Northwest, where she is assured of employment. Willow agrees to go with the hope that eventually she can save enough money for her family to join her.

Rebellious knuckle-boxing champion Caleb Edwards loves Willow more than life itself. But Willow has been adamant that she sees him as a friend and nothing more. Unable to watch her sail away, Caleb uses his prize money to pay for passage to Vancouver Island to be with Willow.

After arriving, Willow finds work as a maid and Caleb is a farmhand on the same property. As Caleb struggles to keep his feelings for Willow from growing, he’ll do anything for her, even take the blame for a theft to keep her safe. As the crime catches up to them, they’re forced to make choices that could finally rip them apart forever.

My reviews

Amazon

BarnesAndNoble

BookBub

Goodreads

LibraryThing

Pinterest

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

The Polish Girl by Malka Adler

 

"Even when we quarreled I stayed near her and didn’t leave. It seems I needed Mama’s support."

Tough read with life as a constant struggle for Danusha. She is two before WW2 and six when it's over. They lived in Poland, hiding and moving constantly because they were Jews. They found some kindness here and there for short times. She was always expected to be silent, as though she wasn't there. She stayed near her mother, who didn't show her love, yet they needed each other. Her mother did show love for Danusha's brother, as he was the son of the family. The story is told by Danusha and her perspective in pieces of their lives, then from her mother's perspective as she tells stories to her friends about their experiences during the war. It was a tough time for them to live and survive through the war, it was also very hard for Danusha to find her own way, her own meaning, to figure out life and how to live. Based on a true story of a daughter and mother. It's not an uplifting story, rather of constant struggle and sadness, but there are lessons to be learned about how the same thing can look entirely different from different perspectives and expectations.

I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#ThePolishGirl #NetGalley #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #HistoricalFiction #MalkaAdler #fivestarbooks

My reviews

Goodreads

Powells

Amazon

BookBub

Barnes & Noble

Pinterest

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

The Ice Swan by J'nell Ciesielski

 

     

A sweeping love story set in Paris and Scotland. A princess, mother and younger sister escape from Russia as the big revolution comes about there. They lost everything, even their few things they had packed. After they fled, Svetlana took on the responsibility of providing for them all, but they were reduced to very little. They thought they found help with a Russian who catered to the deposed aristocrats, but he wasn't what he seemed, and pulled them further into poverty.
Wynn is a brilliant Scottish surgeon who steps in to help and is entranced by the princess. He's from a prominent family, but the differences are stark at times. She is very cold and protective, and has trouble trusting him. Their push-pull story is very intricate and develops slowly. Never a dull moment! Excellent read. 
I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. #TheIceSwan #NetGalley

My Reviews:

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Powells

Book Bub

Christian Book

Pinterest

Shadow Among Sheaves by Naomi Stephens

"Most days she found her own past too painful in its vastness."

England 1861. Intricate tale of a young Indian woman who married a British soldier, heir to a fortune. Similar to the biblical Ruth, when he and his father both died, she left India to follow her mother-in-law back to England. Neither realizing just how tough it would be. Severely rejected because of her race and nationality, both women were rejected and shunned by everyone and forced to live in a way neither had experienced before.

Lord Barric grudgingly felt compelled to help these women,  relatives by marriage. At first, he just allowed Rena to glean from his field. The story is excruciatingly painful to read at times, vividly brought to life by this talented author. Unfairness of discrimination, both of race and because they were women in the society of this day and age. And the customs of both countries. Through Rena, the beauty of the Indian people is unfolded. Although in India, the people didn't respect widows at that time; treated them harshly. In many parts of India, widows were beaten and shunned, cursed and spat upon, their clothes stripped away and ornaments ripped from their piercings so even their skin and flesh were broken. In the Indian state of Punjab, the term for widow was synonymous with the word for prostitute. But love has no racial boundaries.

“We are so much more than our reputation,” she finally managed to reply, her face warming. “Stories cheat; truth is found only in friendship.”

I was blessed to meet and work with people from India for a while, even more blessed to call these beautiful people friends. A time and friendship that I will always treasure. I didn't learn nearly enough about them and the land that they came from. The beauty and dignity of the main character in this story made me think of them.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
#ShadowAmongSheaves #NetGalley #NaomiStephens  #BooksYouFeelGoodAbout
Read a preview of the book here.

My Reviews:
Powells
Goodreads
Amazon
Twitter
Pinterest
ChristianBook
BookFun

Wait For Me (The West Virginia Mountains Series Book 1) by Jo Huddleston

Christian Historical Romance set in the 1950's. This is best as a Young Adult selection. It covers issues like waiting until you're married for sex, dementia, parental disobedience,  poverty of miners in a mining town, and wealth of the mine owner and his family, bettering yourself with education, as well as basic Christian values.

This is a wonderful, sweet story of a young couple who are from the same town, but different social classes. Because of her mother's views, Julie, the daughter of the mine owner, is expected to attend school but not socialize or interact with the other children. Of course this rarely works. Told in first person, the tale is about Julie and how her life unfolds within this restricted life frame, then after she goes away to college. It's also about a young man from her town whom she loves, and revelations about her father and how he feels about the miners he employs. It's written in a format for younger readers.

Thank you to Cheri and Fred at The Book Club Network, the author Jo Huddleston and the publisher Forget Me Not Romances, a division of Winged Publications, for the opportunity to read this book. I was given a free E-book in exchange for an honest review, which you found here.

I would definitely suggest this book to my family or friends who have young adult children.  I see it's the first in a series. I'd be interested to know how Robby and Julie do as time goes by! Great cover too.

My reviews:
Amazon
BookFun 
Goodreads
Pinterest
LibraryThing
Shelfari
Twitter
GooglePlus