Set sail on July 22nd, 1620 aboard both the Speedwell and Mayflower towards Virginia, joining a group of Separatists seeking to settle a colony in the new world! High adventure on the rough seas brings tragedy, triumph, loss and love.

I enjoyed revisiting a time in history that I was unfamiliar with. I'm sure we studied this in history class in school, but Kimberley brought it all to life for me. Told from the viewpoint of several people—Mary Elizabeth, her brother David, Dorothy her best friend, William Lytton, along with several others—I got a complete picture of what it must have been like through their eyes. I can't imagine the trepidation Mary Elizabeth felt leaving the only home she knew in Holland to an unknown future, or the elation William felt in wanting to start a new life from his old past. The journey across the vast ocean brought much tragedy for many passengers when sickness and disease struck. I enjoyed seeing the character growth in Mary Elizabeth as she cared for those around her & how she clung to her faith though it all. My most favorite was William, he was a Stranger who didn't know or want anything to do with God due to his past, but with gentle guidance & teaching by Mr. Brewster, he eventually gave his heart to the Lord. The tender love that grew between Mary Elizabeth and William was blissfully satisfying! Lastly, I especially enjoyed the notes in the “Dear Reader” & “Note to the Reader” sections in the front and back of the book. It gave historical details and what she used to put this wonderful book together. I always love it when an author includes this, as it brings more depth to the story for me! I'm looking forward to the rest of the Daughters of the Mayflower series written by several authors and thoroughly enjoyed the first installment in “The Mayflower Bride”.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. *

I have to admit, I first wanted to read this book because of the amazing cover. I was intrigued by the historical setting and what story the author would tell. While the book has plenty of details of the Speedwell and Mayflower voyages, they were basic and I didn't find them very compelling and didn't feel immersed in the setting. I felt like I was being told facts instead of experiencing it along with the characters. I liked Mary Elizabeth and the realistic portrayal of her fears, and how she relied on her faith to give her strength to overcome. Her friend Dorothy was a bright spot with her optimism and enthusiasm. William has a background that is tragic yet redeeming, and his developing friendship with Mary Elizabeth is sweet. Somehow I didn't feel a connection to the emotions they described, and felt like what depth was there was repeated throughout the book.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

Impeccably researched and well written! Captivating story of change, love, endurance, friendship, family, and freedom. I learned so much through this fiction book. The author does an incredible job of making historical events come alive for the reader. The characters are well written and relatable. They are so close to real people! They add to the historical information in a great way that doesn’t detract from the actual events. There’s something for everyone in this book. I loved it. Can’t wait to read the others in the series.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. I was in no way required to write a review.

Kimberly Woodhouse managed to transport me back in time to the Mayflower and it was fascinating. I love historical fiction. This was the first time I read books by this author. But it definitely won’t be the last. This was such a heartwarming story. I enjoyed reading this and am so excited for the rest of the books in the series to be released.
The Mayflower Bride provided some great information about the Separatists who traveled on the Mayflower. While history books teach us that the settlers face some incredible hardships, this book is what really made the hardships come alive. While I really didn’t get drawn into the characters of the Mayflower Bride, the historical facts captured my attention and kept my attention to the end. I was overwhelmed by the amount of faith it took for those first settlers to come to the New World. I finished this book with a great appreciation of the sacrifice made by our founding fathers.
I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.
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It was interesting learning more about the Mayflower voyage and all the trials the people endured before arriving in the New World--not where they'd intended--and then the further trials of having arrived sick, weak, and without shelter or provision. In spite of being reminded of the pilgrims and Indians every Thanksgiving, I apparently didn't know much about the early colonists from the Mayflower.

The love story is sweet and gentle, and it's good to see both Mary Elizabeth and William growing steadily in their faith throughout the story. Considering the significant hardships the pilgrims endured, I didn't think the subplot with Peter really added to the story--there was plenty conflict as it was. Some writing styles grab me and others don't--this was one of the latter, and it took a lot longer to finish than it really should have. But if you want a recounting of the Mayflower, then this does a good job capturing the facts and presenting them in story form.

This is a brand new series, every book will be written by a different author. I haven’t read a lot of books based on the travel to America so I thought I would read this one.

This is definitely a series I will continue to follow.

Mary Elizabeth is a sweet girl who has never considered herself brave but finds she has to be to survive her travels on the Mayflower.

William has never really known what a family is but finds himself wanting one and also wondering about the faith he sees in Mary Elizabeth.

I will be honest, I was never really sucked into this book. I guess nothing reached out and grabbed me. The premise is good and like I said, I will be reading the next book in this series (I already have it). As always, this is my opinions only.

A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley.com. All opinions are my own.

Many of us have heard about the people who boarded ships to travel to new land. They had hopes of a better life and dreams of owning their own land. The book was a big eye opener for me. I never realized how much the people went through as they traveled on treacherous waters at times. I can’t imagine seeing water seeping up to a point where you fear you may drown. The author has done an exceptional job of making this story so accurate with historical facts. I was mesmerized by the dangers everyone was willing to take a to find a new beginning.

Mary Elizabeth was my favorite character. She was someone you could rely on and pitched in when needed. After having to depart from one ship that kept sinking to board the Mayflower was a daunting task. I was so emotional as I read of all the sickness these people endured. The accommodations were crowded and supplies were dwindling. I know Mary Elizabeth was happy to be traveling with her family, but will they be able to get to their destination as storms thrash the ship with waves that could cause devastation? I loved knowing that Mary Elizabeth had her best friend with her. They were abłe to gather strength from each other when times were almost hopeless as sickness and death surrounded them.

William was a delight to read about. He is so kind to Mary Elizabeth and helps her as much as he can when so many people become ill. The story is filled with tragedy, hope, trust and a dream of a bright future. Grab a copy of this book and travel with a group that were willing to risk their life for a better future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing abs was under no obligation to post a review.

I enjoyed this book very much. I like historical fiction and this fit that perfectly plus I like the way the author used the foundation of God establishing our country in the book. The struggles of coming to the New World on a ship that was crowded and conditions were terrible had to be so difficult. Losing loved ones and friends would be so devastating. It would take the love and strength of God to get them through. I enjoyed the story of Mary Elizabeth and how she would come to depend on God to get her through all the difficulties and loses. It was a book that made me appreciate how God brought the people to America and even in the hardships He cared for them and provided. Thank you NetGalley for the kindle copy of the book in exchange for my review.

Years ago, I started reading an incredible series for a review project including American’ Dream, which includes four stories of girl-hood journeys in our American history. The first of which was called Sarah’s New World which was a story of a young girl’s journey on the Mayflower across the great ocean to the shores of the colonies. As I started into turning the pages upon The Mayflower Bride, my mind was sent back to how I enjoyed reading Sarah’s New World years ago. I actually even retrieved the book from my shelf and handed it to my eight year old advanced reader and said here, have a fun read for school. Her eyes lit up as she knew she was going on an adventure and one to share with me as I read my book and she read hers. The entire Sisters in Time series is available on Kindle as eBooks (both as the reprint omnibus and single story editions) and I truly hope to collect them all for my girls to read in their homeschool studies.
While, I’m familiar with the name of Kimberley Woodhouse and know I’ve got here with a Tracie Peterson book around here somewhere, this is the first time that I have really dived into a book of her own solo. I’m always nervous when it comes to introducing myself to a new-to-me author of Christian Historical Fiction and intrigued at the same time.

In my own genealogical history, I know that we have claim to members of ancestry being on the Mayflower and so on of ships. We’ve been on the American continent for ages, and perhaps it is because of this that I often find these books of Christian Historical Fiction of special interest. This story is about a girl, a young woman with quite the spirit and personality, her name is Mary Elizabeth. And then, of course, a young man of a rough past, William.
Reading this story, coming in with my own knowledge and attention to detail, it is apparent that Kimberley Woodhouse has indeed done her research and provided a vivid tale of the times. The opening notes really set the background and while I’ll read this series for fun as that is the kind of person I am, I fully intend to set these aside to be a feature in our high school studies as I bring my girls back around to study to earliest in American history days once again. This is a great book for a read, as well as a good resource for homeschool living literature.

I was really excited to have an opportunity to read and review the first book in the Daughters of the Mayflower series,The Mayflower bride. I really love reading historical facts and learning historical things in books I read. Now I know this is a fiction book but many of the facts presented I was not aware of since I don't regularly read in the time period presented. The author included a glossary of terms used in the book and I found it so helpful since a lot of the terms refer to parts of a ship which I'll admit I am not familiar with. The cast of characters listed was also very helpful as well. Beautiful historical story that is the introduction to the series as it sets up the story for the upcoming books in the series. The hardships,hunger,depression,sickness,loss and raging storms is just incredible on this voyage. When they make it to land will it be too late for the planting season? Will things work out for Mary Elizabeth Chapman so she is able to marry William or will he be branded a traitor and expelled?
This was a smooth reading fabulous book that I had trouble putting down. I can't wait to read the next books and continue the series.
Pub Date 01 Feb 2018
Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing, Inc. for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Still is dealing with her Mom recent death, Mary Elizabeth, a young puritan, is very hesitant to make the trip to America. William, a non-puritan carpenter, sees the advantages for going to the new world.

God uses this trip to draw William into a personal relationship, even as Mary Elizabeth & William are drawn into a romantic relationship. Many hardships, sicknesses, heartaches, & losses occurred in the establishment of new Puritan settlement in America.

I Highly Recommend this fantastic Historic Christian Romance by Kimberley Woodhouse! 📖

A beautifully written story....loved the premise/the writing/the characters/and this author. Five Stars.

1620 - Holland

Mary Elizabeth Chapman and her friend, Dorothy are eavesdropping as the Pastor affirms that it is time to journey to the New World and establish a colony in Virginia. These people are called Separatists because they want to separate from the Church of England. The young ladies learn that their families will be a part of the group to journey to Virginia. Soon they will sail from Holland to England where they will connect with the ship that will take them to the New World. They start out on the Speedwell but due to numerous leaks, they are all transferred to the Mayflower.

Mary Elizabeth meets a young man named Willian Lytton who becomes enamored by her. He works hard on the ship as a carpenter. Not having grown up with teachings from the Bible, he asks the head of the church group if he may join them in their discussions of the Bible. He is welcomed.

Along the way, they encounter many storms and much sickness. Mary Elizabeth and Dorothy work tirelessly helping the sick people as the trip drags on. When they finally reach land, they find they are off course and are not in Virginia. But they are a determined group and carry on.

This was an interesting story. I found it to be somewhat repetitive and the enormous amount of scripture inserted into the story was way overdone. Had the author stuck to the historical part of the journey, I think I would have liked the book a lot more.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Wow! Amazing research went into this book. Just reading the introduction had me excited to read more. 🙂

It was very interesting to follow the journey of the Seperatists from Holland to America. It has been quite a while since I have read of their journey and it was amazing the number of things I had forgotten about.

The author did a great job of making history come alive. She gave just enough details to help me experience the feelings of the peril and tedium of the journey without boring me or grossing me out. While there was a great deal of history in the book, it was more about the people than the facts.

Mary Elizabeth learned how to overcome fear of the unknown and how to trust in His goodness through trying circumstances. And William learned to know God as his Savior and the only Father who loved him.

Here are some favorite passages:

She didn’t know what to do. Didn’t know what to pray anymore. “Lord…” Words failed to come.

“When you don’t know what to pray, Mary Elizabeth, pray the words Jesus taught us… pray scripture.” Mother’s words floated over her, and a single tear slipped down her cheek.

As she stood to go check on the others, Mary Elizabeth realized how much she’d changed over the past few weeks. The tragedy of losing Mother had almost broken her her. Or so she thought. But she’d needed to learn how to give it over to God the Father. She needed to know that His strength and peace were always with her. For so long, she’d thought of herself as timid and afraid. Never courageous. But now, somehow, her thinking had changed.

“I can see you are puzzled.” The man didn’t mock him or make him feel uncomfortable. He reminded William of Paul. “Let me try to explain. To be ‘poor in spirit’ means to know the depth of our lacking – to know we are broken and unusable as we are. That we are sinners in need of a Savior and can’t possibly attain anything on our own. When we come to that place of understanding and are truly ‘poor in spirit’, then we acknowledge Jesus as our Savior – that it is only through His sacrifice that we can be saved – and then we can be cleansed and transformed. Then – oh what a beautiful thought – then the kingdom of heaven is ours. To live eternally with our heavenly Father.”

The author mentioned in the introduction that she did not use the language of the day in the book because of how difficult it can be to read it. (She gave an example in the introduction from one of the books she used for research, and I am very grateful for that choice she made!) However, she did make the language seem a little too modern. Somehow it didn’t give the feel of being in that time. And there was an instance I found where she used the phrase “in a jiffy”, which didn’t start being used until the 1800s (according to what I have learned). I wish she had found a way to give a little more of a feel of the language in the book


This review was originally posted on AmongTheReads.net

I am grateful to Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book. The fact I received this book for free does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

It's always exciting when I come across the first book in what is to become a series. I love staying in fictitious worlds so even though I love reading stand alone books, there is nothing like a good series that keeps me immersed with characters for some time. I thought the Mayflower Bride sounded intriguing because it isn't often you come across a book that is set on the famous Mayflower. I felt like this book gave me some good insight into what the journey to the new land might have been like. Part of the reason I felt that way is because a lot of the book uses real passengers from the ship and tells their stories, and the author gives some background information before and after the novel which I found very helpful and enlightening. I really enjoyed getting to know Mary Elizabeth, and her family.
I am hoping to see more of them, even if just a brief glimpse or mention, in the coming books of the Daughters of the Mayflower series. I recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction.

The Mayflower Bride was a fast-paced, heartrending tale of the Separatists who braved the tumultuous seas, disease, and hunger, to establish the first colony in Virginia. Distress clutched my heart at the many trials and hardships our courageous forefathers had to face on the crossing of The Mayflower to the New World. The romance was not very passionate, but it does permeate the story keeping it somewhat less depressing. I enjoyed the diverse characters (factual and fiction), their solid faith during adversity, and the courage to follow their dreams no matter what the cost.

Mary Elizabeth is wary of the future. Standing on the deck of the ship Speedway in 1620, she reminisces about her life in Holland and is worried about her trip to the New World. Holland wasn't home but it was where her mother had taken her final breath, and having to leave her behind is gut wrenching for Mary Elizabeth, her little brother David, and their father. They are hoping the New World will also mean a new and better life away from persecution. A new beginning.

Mary Elizabeth and her family are members of the Separatists, a religious sect who had chosen to break away from the Church of England, in pursuit of spiritual freedom. This choice has made them detestable in their land and so they fled to Holland to break free from religious persecution. Now a number of their congregation are headed to the New World to help start a new settlement where they can freely worship and live for the Lord.

William is also ready for a fresh start. He is an orphan who has had a hard knock life thus far, being kicked out of his foster home at the tender age of nine, and was on the streets barely able to survive. This is until a kind-hearted gentleman took him in and taught him the trade of carpentry. He is on the Mayflower, the ship that is to sail alongside the Speedway, loaded with supplies for the New World.

The Mayflower Bride tells this harrowing story of the trip across the Atlantic through the eyes of Mary Elizabeth, William, and several other inhabitants aboard the Mayflower. Your hopes rise and fall with the characters, who deal with a ship that almost sinks, bouts of seasickness and scurvy, and such severe illness that it brings with it death. Intermingled with the sadness there is also the beautiful story of love, friendship, finding inner strength, and living by faith and faith alone.

This is the first book in The Daughters of the Mayflower series and I believe it to be an incredible beginning. What I really enjoyed the most was the Note to the Reader at the end of the book where the author explains in greater detail the genealogy of several of the characters that were actually on the Mayflower and connecting them to famous figures that we all know and love today! Ms. Woodhouse was even able to trace her own lineage to Virginia in 1659!

There are a few historical inaccuracies which the author does explain both at the beginning and ending of the book, but in my opinion they do not hurt the integrity of the actual story of the Separatists or the circumstances of the Mayflower voyage whatsoever. I highly recommend this book for those that love history and appreciate the plight the early settlers had to endure to create the freedom we have today.

Historical Fiction and Romance

Mary Elizabeth, a member of the Separatists, is afraid to leave the only home she’s known in Holland, but her father has secured passage on the Speedwell, a vessel bound for the new world and a better life. Her best friend Dorothy is also going on the boat. This helps Mary Elizabeth adjust because while Mary cries constantly, Dorothy is enthusiastic.

William Lytton is also headed for the new world on the Mayflower. He’s a carpenter hoping for a better life. Abandoned as a child he was rescued by his mentor, also a carpenter. Now his mentor is dead and he’s eager for a new start. This new start seems to be very auspicious when he’s approached by Crawford, one of the sponsors of the voyage. Crawford recruits him to keep an eye on his company’s interests. Since this entails a significant sum of money, William immediately draws an enemy.

If you enjoy historical novels, this is worth reading. It is well researched and the author describes the difficult voyage in a way that well illustrates the danger faced by the Separatists. The characters are well chosen and the romance between Mary and William shows how the settlers find love in spite of the hardships.

My difficulty with the book was Mary’s character. She was so weepy in the beginning of the book that I found it hard to like her. It did give plenty of room for her character to grow, but being turned off, I wasn’t as interested in her development as I might have been.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

" The Mayflower Bride" by Kimberley Woodhouse
I really liked this story... For me it was a very difficult read. I knew a bit of the Mayflower voyage story.. but until now, well I never really felt what it was like for the people who populated this 'journey of faith'. I vote for this story to be a "Book Club" read. If you get emotionally involved in the stories you read... be sure to come prepared!

I love historical fiction, and I began reading this book knowing I would enjoy it, but I was pleasantly surprised and ended up loving it! Some of the main characters are fictional, but many historical figures make an appearance as well.
Mary Elizabeth has lost her mother, and now her father has decided to take her and her younger brother David to the New World with the small congregation of Separatists in order to start a new life with religious freedom. She is fearful and doesn't want to leave, but her friend Dorothy encourages her along the way. They begin their journey on the Speedwell, but soon they all move to the Mayflower due to safety concerns. Mary Elizabeth meets William, a young man also looking for a new start who is searching for the truth about God and the Bible. The travelers all endure unimaginable illness and hardship on the journey, but they soon make it to the New World. Along the way, Mary Elizabeth and William grow and change while they build a relationship. Can their faith in God sustain them through these difficult losses and setbacks?
I loved the way the author portrayed the characters' faith in God and the Bible. Most Christian fiction these days is watered down and shallow, so it was refreshing for me to read this book. Thanks to the author for standing firm and not caving in to the wishy washy popular opinion so rampant in Christianity these days. The historical context was very well written and accurate, and it was a very clean read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian historical fiction.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.