A Reluctant Bride ~ Review

A Reluctant Bride
The Bride Ships #1
By Jody Hedlund

Mercy Wilkins is leaving the life she has always known because of a promise she made to her sister Patience. With no jobs available short of selling her body Mercy has no choice but to sail to British Columbia with the group of women being sent by the Columbia Mission Society. With the prospect of a respectable paying job at the end of her journey, Mercy is torn leaving behind Patience and the new life awaiting her. Unlike the other young women, Mercy isn't anticipating marriage to one of the men awaiting the civilizing influences of the women. Rather Mercy has no plans to ever marry as it brings nothing but heartbreak and more hungry mouths that can't be feed.

Joseph Colville is the younger son - he was never expected to inherit the family title or the estate. He turned his attention rather to medicine and to the aiding of those in need. But following the loss of his family and his unexpected inheritance Joseph finds himself running away to sea to escape the pain. But escaping is nigh on impossible when the pain lives within him. But Joseph is determined to be the best ship's surgeon he can be. But when the need arises he is pleased to accept Mercy's assistance in caring for the passengers onboard. As Joseph and Mercy continue working together they both begin to admire each other but the differences in their stations in life make any future together impossible. And Mercy for one knows her place she's had it pointed out to her more than once.

More than anything Mercy dreams of freedom - freedom to pursue the life she's dreamed of one that allows her to make her own way and not be under the control of another. But will she be given the chance to find employment or will this ship that promises a new life only end in marriage to one of the hundred's of single men waiting on Vancouver Island?

This is the first book in Jody Hedlund's new series The Bride Ships and those who love her artistic renderings of history to text will love with this book and the promise of what is to come. The premise behind the Bride Ships was to ship out London's excess of marriageable young women who were of upright morals to British colonies and help bring civilization to the poor single men who found themselves at the mercies of the low morals of the "local" people (yeah, right). But travel by ship was not the easiest of passages, especially when sailing from England to British Columbia, nor was it particularly fast.

I like how Mercy comes to truly know herself through this journey. The most important lesson she needs to learn is to see herself through eyes other than her own. She needs to see herself through the eyes of the Father who created her and found her worthy of His love just because. I also like how Joseph grew as a person - he thought himself beyond the prejudices of class and station but as he worked on the Tynemouth he learned that some of his notions about people weren't what he thought.

This is yet another work by Jody Hedlund that I highly recommend to fans of historical fiction. I truly believe that readers who devour the orphan train/orphan ship books will find this book to be of a similar vein and well worth their time to read. This would also be a good choice for a book club selection.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations - all thoughts expressed are my own honest opinion.


About the Book:

A New Life Awaits Her across the Horizon

Living in London's poorest slum, Mercy Wilkins harbors little hope for a better life. So when she's offered the opportunity to join a bride ship sailing to British Columbia, she agrees. The journey abroad is her only prospect to escape a bleak future--both for herself and to help her sister, who's suffering in a workhouse. 

Wealthy and titled Joseph Colville leaves everything behind and takes to the sea to escape the pain of losing his family. As the ship's surgeon, he's in charge of the passengers' welfare aboard the Tynemouth, including sixty brides-to-be. He has no immediate intention of settling down, but when Mercy becomes his assistant, the two must fight against a forbidden love.

With hundreds of single men congregating along the shore of Vancouver Island, eager to claim a bride from the Tynemouth, will Mercy and Joseph miss their chance at true love, or will they overcome the obstacles that threaten to keep them apart?