A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund

5.0 out of 5 stars This Is No Fairy Tale!

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2013

A New Historical Romance from Fan-Favorite Jody Hedlund

Recently widowed Annalisa Werner has the feeling her husband was murdered but can't prove it. Alone with her young daughter in 1881 Michigan, she has six months left to finish raising the money needed to pay back the land contract her husband purchased, and the land is difficult to toil by herself. She needs a husband. With unmarried men scarce, her father sends a letter to his brother in the Old Country, asking him to find Annalisa a groom.

For nobleman Carl von Reichart, the blade of the guillotine is his fate. He's been accused and convicted of a serious crime he didn't commit, and his only escape is to flee to a small German community in Michigan where he'll be safe. He secures a job on Annalisa's farm but bumbles through learning about farming and manual labor.

Annalisa senses that Carl is harboring a secret about his past, yet she finds herself drawn to him anyway. He's gentle, kind, and romantic--unlike any of the men she's ever known. He begins to restore her faith in the ability to love--but her true groom is still on his way. And time is running out on them all.

Biography

Jody Hedlund is an award-winning and bestselling author of inspirational historical romances.

As a busy mama-writer, she has the wonderful privilege of teaching her crew of 5 children at home. In between grading math papers and giving spelling tests, she occasionally does a load of laundry and washes dishes. When she's not busy being a mama, you can find her in front of her laptop working on another of her page-turning stories.

She loves reading almost as much as she loves writing, especially when it also involves chocolate and coffee.

My Review ~

"A Noble Groom" is set in 1880 on the eastern side of Michigan's lower peninsula, near the shores of Lake Huron. Fleeing Germany in search of a better life, numerous immigrants hoped to work in the mines in Michigan's upper peninsula, but upon discovering how cold winters were that far north they remained in lower peninsula Michigan where land was cheap. Clearing the land and making it ready for planting crops was hard labor, but just owning a piece of property was important to these immigrants who came from nothing in the Old Country. Annalisa Werner's husband was killed, leaving her with a 2-year-old daughter, and pregnant with her second child. Her marriage had been unhappy, and as she told her daughter fairy tales she frequently dreamed about love and happiness in a marriage, wondering if such a thing existed. When Carl Richards arrived in Michigan from Germany, Annalisa's father mistook him for a distant cousin that he had requested as a husband for Annalisa. When Carl informed him that he was a teacher, and not Annalisa's cousin, he was hired to work Annalisa's farm until her prospective husband arrived from Germany. 

Jody Hedlund has researched her Michigan history well, and has created a very poignant story of extremely oppressive times for the immigrants who came from Germany with virtually nothing but their work ethics and the hope for a better life. Marriage was a matter of necessity in order to produce children to assist in working the farms. Women had no value aside from their childbearing capabilities, and love was a rarity. Strong personalities are portrayed with detail, leaving the reader affected by these characters. The landscape is described in pictorial detail, creating images that enhance the issues described in the lives of these peasants. It appears that God has forsaken these people through harsh and significantly difficult times, but their faith remains strong, and hope prevails. The attention to detail in this book is magnificent! Jody Hedlund is an extremely talented and masterful author who creates a deeply moving and emotionally consuming story of struggle, survival, faith and love. Impressive!

Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided by Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, and I received no monetary compensation for this review.