Book Recommendation - Bride of Convenience

When it comes to Christian historical romance, Jody Hedlund is one of the names that comes to mind for a great story. I was introduced to her writing several years ago when I won her biographical fiction piece on John Newton entitled "Newton and Polly". Two years ago, she wrote an amazing series on the orphan trains that I thoroughly enjoyed and she is currently doing a series on the bride ships that brought women from England to the Canadian colonies where miners had settled in and men outnumbered the women 100 to 1. When Ms. Hedlund learned of these ships, she wondered at what sort of desperation would cause women to leave the only home they've ever known, sail for months at a time to come to a colony and plan to marry a stranger. This series looks into those reasons and each leading lady has a different one. Bride of Convenience is the 3rd book in this series. It follows Zoe, who has come to the colonies on the bride ship not only to be a bride, but also to find her brother who immigrated 2 years prior. When she finds herself in custody of an orphan child, she knows that she has to find a husband sooner than later. While I'm generally not overly keen on romance novels in general, a marriage of convenience story is probably my favorite trope within the romance genre. I think this is because the love is built on the solid foundation of commitment, and I appreciate that about a romance novel.

Here's a brief synopsis of this novel:

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.

For more information, check out the following links:
Jody Hedlund's website: https://jodyhedlund.com/
Jody Hedlund's facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jody.hedlund
Jody Hedlund's reader room facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1645996612301613/about
My full 4.5 star review of this one: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3380968885

Book Recommendation - The White Rose Resists

Amanda Barratt is a new name to me for historical fiction, but I've heard a lot of good things about her. This book received a lot of buzz in some reader groups I belong to, and I had to check it out for myself. Written about a little-known (to me anyway) German resistance group, this book came from the perspective of German citizens during WWII who were against what Hitler was doing. While a couple of the main characters are fictional (Kirk and Annalise), they are based loosely on other outlying members of the White Rose. But the remaining main characters were all real people and the things that they did in this book really happened, as is what happened to them. This book speaks to the importance of standing up for what you believe in, no matter the cost.

Here's the synopsis:

Inspired by an incredible true story, The White Rose Resists reveals the power of ordinary men and women to stand against evil…no matter the cost.

The ideal of a new Germany swept up Sophie Scholl in a maelstrom of patriotic fervor—until she realized the truth behind Hitler’s machinations for the Fatherland. Now she and other students in Munich, the cradle of the Nazi government, have banded together to form a dangerous battleground for truth: the White Rose. Risking everything to print and distribute leaflets calling for Germans to rise up against the evil permeating their country, the White Rose treads a knife’s edge of discovery by the Gestapo.

Annalise Brandt came to the University of Munich to study art, not get involved with conspiracy. The daughter of an SS officer, she’s been brought up to believe in the Führer’s divinely appointed leadership. But the more she comes to know Sophie and her friends, the more she questions the Nazi propaganda.

Soon Annalise joins their double life—students by day, resisters by night. And as the stakes increase, they’re all forced to confront the deadly consequences meted out to any who dare to oppose the Reich.

A gripping testament to courage, The White Rose Resists illuminates the sacrifice and conviction of an unlikely group of revolutionaries who refused to remain silent.

For more information, check out the following websites:
Amanda Barratt's website: https://amandabarratt.net/
Amanda Barratt's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaBarrattauthor/
My full 4.5 star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3331026541