7 Nov 2021

Review: The Runaway Bride by Jody Hedlund

 The Runaway Bride: Bride Ships #2 

March 3rd 2020, Bethany House

Print, Ebook and Audio 

 

Haunted by mistakes in her past, will she ever again trust her heart to another?

Wealthy Arabella Lawrence flees to British Columbia on a bride ship, still bearing the scars of past mistakes. One of the few single women in the boomtown, she immediately attracts suitors, but she is determined not to find herself trapped again by making a poor choice.

Vying for her hand are two very different men. Lieutenant Richard Drummond is a gentleman in the Navy, held in high esteem. Peter Kelly is the town's baker who has worked hard to build a thriving business. He and Drummond not only compete for Arabella's affections, but also clash over their views of how the natives should be treated in the midst of a smallpox outbreak.

As Arabella begins to overcome her fears, she discovers someone in dire need—a starving girl left behind by her tribe. Intent on helping the child, Arabella leans on Peter's advice and guidance. Will she have the wisdom to make the right decision, or will seeking what's right cost both her and Peter everything?


My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐


I finally got around to reading this book after more than a year. I liked it a lot, and it was quite strong for the second novel in a series.

Arabella and Peter were both great characters and the story did a good job of exloring some of the social issues and condiitions facing the characters. Arabella was meant to represent a woman of the middle classes instead of a working class poor woman. For the most part, her character seemed realistic, although I think her secondary love interest was a bit of a charicature.

I didn't think the faith messages were heavy handed either. The characters had doubts but they did not seem contrived, nor were they condemned for having them.

I was not sure about all the langauge. The term "bakehouse" seemed to be an Americanism, but I did not notice very many of these.

Thanks to Bethany House for allowing me to read this title. I was not required to write a posiitve review and all opinions expressed are my own.


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