A Bride Of Convenience By Jody Hedlund & Audiobook Giveaway

A Bride of Convenience
by Jody Hedlund
Publisher: Bethany House
ISBN: 9780764232978

I was so happy to be part of Jody's launch team for the third book in her The Bride Ships series! I'd read the first two earlier in the year and was really looking forward to the third installment. Thankful to have been sent the book to go along with the launch!

Summary:

After Heartbreaking Loss,
a Marriage of Convenience Holds More Appeal than Ever Before.There is nothing left to keep Zoe Hart in England. Unemployed and struggling with grief, she decides to leave her bleak life behind her and emigrate on a bride ship to British Columbia--the place her brother fled to when falsely accused of a drastic crime. 

Pastor to miners in the mountains, Abe Merivale discovers an abandoned native baby during a routine visit to Victoria and joins efforts with Zoe--one of the newly arrived bride-ship women--to care for the orphan. When Abe is forced to choose between following the strict rules laid down by his bishop and listening to God's nudges to care for his people, he is left at a crossroads.

Determined to find her brother and to give the baby a home, Zoe rashly accepts a marriage proposal from a man who promises both. But Abe knows the man's unsavory reputation. Intent on protecting Zoe and wounded by his own failed engagement, Abe impulsively offers his own hand instead. They hastily marry, but both soon realize the marriage of convenience they imagined is not so convenient after all.

My Review:

This story was SO much fun! A Bride of Convenience is my favorite story for several reasons. I know, we're not supposed to have favorites, especially in a series, but hear me out!

We've already met Pastor Abe and he's such a nice fella. He deserves to find a bride, but... there's a BUT that goes along with his plan for marriage. Zoe on the other hand is in Vancouver for the sole purpose of finding a husband -- and her brother.

While I liked Pastor Abe in the past, when it came to Zoe, he was really a dunderhead. I could understand he was conflicted with all that happened within a short amount of time, but wow, he sure took the cake on this one. Also, his differences with the Bishop added to his stress. Can I just say I wish Zoe would've cold cocked him? hahahaha Maybe slapped him would've been what they did in those days. The Bishop needs to journey back to England and make everyone happy... well, except for him. I'm not sure anything could thaw him out.

Zoe was a wonderfully written character. She's a friend to everyone and towards the end of the book, in one of my favorite scenes, you see how she's impacted the people in the town. I actually laughed out loud (page 288 and 289). While she is only 19 yrs old, it's clear that her life of hard living in Manchester helps her to acclimate to the way of life in this new country. I'm pretty sure she and I would've been fast friends had our paths crossed.

Can we talk romance here? Jody blew me away with the build up of the story between Abe and Zoe. Who knew a kiss in a book between two fictional characters could get the heart racing? hahahaha The romance was so well written that it's probably one of my favorite between 2 characters! And it was so much more than the kisses that made this romance so wonderful. The tension, the misunderstandings, and so on just really made me root for them!

On the faith element, it was so wonderful to see how Zoe complemented Pastor Abe in his ministry. But more than that, how God orchestrated what their ministry would actually look like. It started with Mrs. Moresby encouraging Zoe in where she saw God leading her, Zoe speaking plainly to Abe, and events happening that couldn't be ignored!

Now you have the opportunity to win the audiobook version of this book! It's not to be missed!

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About the Author:

Jody Hedlund (www.jodyhedlund.com) is the author of over 20 novels, including Love Unexpected, Captured by Love, Unending Devotion, The Preacher's Bride, and A Noble Groom, and is the winner of numerous awards, including the Christy Award, Carol Award, and Christian Book Award. She received a bachelor's degree from Taylor University and a master's from the University of Wisconsin, both in social work. Jody lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy teens, and five spoiled cats. She loves hearing from readers on Facebook and on her blog.