The lovely cover is what drew me first to this novel. Then when I saw it was a series starting with the crossing of the Mayflower, be still my historical loving heart!

The author does a fabulous job of setting up the story in the introductory comments to the reader. Likewise, the afterward provides additional details about what was Fiction and which parts were fact in the afterward. I especially loved reading about some famous descendants from those that sailed and survived the crossing of the Mayflower.

I think it was the introductory comments to the reader that set my expectations high for the level of historical detail about to unfold in the pages. While the novel included historical details about the time, this could have been enhanced. I did feel the despair the passengers must have felt so the mood was established by the author.

Overall, it was a good story. One of my favorite parts of reading historical fiction is learning something new. I absolutely learned a few new things from The Mayflower Bride and for that I come away from my time spent reading this novel gratified.

The Mayflower Bride by Kimberly Woodhouse is the first in a new series, Daughters of the Mayflower, that will transport readers through pivotal periods in U.S. history. I am interested to see if the next book will feature descendants of the characters in the first book. Mary Elizabeth Chapman belongs to the religious group, the Separatists, who are journeying to the New World in the hopes of religious freedom. William Lytton seeks to build a new life as a carpenter in the New World and put his past behind him. The two meet, and it is a case of instant attraction. However, their beliefs and backgrounds put them at odds. Will love truimph all? Can they find a way to love one another and build a life in the New World? Fans of historical fiction will enjoy the intersection between Woodhouse's fictional characters with historical characters as she paints a composite picture of what life was like for those journeying aboard the Mayflower.

Absolutely loved the book! So excited for all the books to read!!

Author Kimberley Woodhouse is the first author to offer a story in the new series Daughters of the Mayflower , and she does not disappoint as she takes us on a journey across the ocean, on board the Mayflower.

While many characters in the book were actual passengers aboard the Mayflower, our main characters of Mary Elizabeth Chapman and William Lytton, were not. But the author has done an excellent job of making their story and the lives of those on board the Mayflower, come alive.

One of the reasons I love historical fiction so much is because I know authors like Woodhouse will put in the effort to make it as historically accurate as possible. And so I learn things I never knew before. If only everyone could take a history class through a novel like this! The harrowing journey to the New World was filled with sickness, danger and ultimately death. It is by the grace of God that anyone survived the journey. While the budding romance between Elizabeth and William was fictional, it made the story of the voyage all the more real to me.

The only problem I had was with the character of Peter. He appeared so infrequently that I would forget about him and his purpose, so that when he was mentioned again I had to stop and think - who is this? Making his role seem almost insignificant. What did stand out of course was the faith of Elizabeth and how she struggled to keep it, but ultimately trusted in God for all things. At the beginning of the journey William had no faith, but by the end, he was a man of God ready to do what was right, no matter the price.

If you enjoy history and romance, you will most certainly find yourself glued to the pages of this book!

Book provided by NetGalley and Barbour Publishing.

I love to read historical fiction based on real life events. When I saw this book, I knew it was for me. This is the story of the Separatist's journey to the new world. They traveled aboard The Mayflower seeking religious freedom in the new settlement called Plymouth. This story centers around Mary Elizabeth and William, two young people, making this perilous journey. The author does a good job of writing about all of the tragic events these settlers faced-the boat leaking, storms, sickness, etc. It includes lots of history, and I enjoyed the authors notes at the end about what was fact and what was fiction. I look forward to reading more books in this series!

An expertly researched look into a time period rarely explored in CBA fiction and the worthy first bookend to Barbour's new (and ambitious) span through American history.

No one can doubt the author's research nor the attention to detail. I, did, however think there were some limitations in the pairing of historical authenticity with the dialogue and world created. I must, however, assume that this was to create a sense of accessibility for the modern reader while sparking their interest into a little-explored tenet of American history.

3.5

Definitely woven by a talented and competent voice.

Review copy provided by netgalley.

I am always looking for exceptional historical fiction in time periods that I have read about previously so The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse caught my eye. I was not disappointed. This is the story of the Saints and the Separatist that came over on the Mayflower to start a colony in the New World. It centers on the fictional Chapman family and the trials and tribulations they suffered on the journey. It highlights how everyone lived on board the ship and the difficulties that had to be overcome. Although the Chapman family is fictional, the book is based on historical people and events.

What I enjoyed about this book was the tremendous amount of historical facts that are included for both the voyage and settling of Plymouth. You get a glimpse into life aboard the ship when the passengers are assailed with continuous storms and sickness. You feel the grief and helplessness as friends and family die. You are also witness to the joys as they finally reach land and the peace that they find in their religion and faith.

This book can be read and enjoyed by all ages who enjoy Christian historical fiction. The author does a marvelous job of weaving an engaging story thru the facts that will keep you turning pages. It has many wonderful examples of the characters’ faith and their beliefs in God, including many uplifting Bible verses.

Ok, first off I do not normally read what I consider "religious" novels & to be honest I didn't think this would be one, but it was. Though the religious part of the book fit into the story line & was needed for the first pilgrims I found it to be a bit monotonous with the amount of religion in the book. I understand it was needed for the story line, but it got to the point I started skipping over those sections.

Otherwise the story line & historical accuracy was spot on to what I believe how it would have been for the first Pilgrims arriving at Plymouth. The Indians were even brought into the story line which I thought was a very nice touch.

Overall I consider this to be a religious roman novel. It was very good, but I doubt I will read anymore of this type. It just is not my thing.

The Mayflower Bride is a love story between Mary Elizabeth and William who meet on the Mayflower. I'm not sure why, but before I started reading, I thought the book would be more about their marriage (after their arrival in America) than about their courtship. Most of the novel takes place aboard the Mayflower, and it stays close to the facts. As someone who knows about this time in history, there were few surprises.

Mary Elizabeth and William spend little time together. Although I'm sure this is more historically accurate, it's hard for me to emotionally connect to that type of relationship. I felt more connected to the individual characters and their struggles, which I thought the author did a good job of portraying.

This was a clean, quick read that would appeal to lovers of historical fiction. Even though we know that the Mayflower makes it, there were still plot turns that kept you on your toes.

To be honest, I think the description makes the book sound more exciting than it actually is. But, having said that, I enjoyed the book, and found the story moved at a fairly rapid pace, which kept me interested. While I appreciate that the main focus of the story was the voyage itself, at times (rather like the pilgrims) I found myself wishing that they wouldland in the New World and get on with it! I found the characters were mostly believable and likeable: I think it was the less pleasant characters that I found to be less well described.
As a Christian myself, I didn't find the continued Bible references too annoying, but I imagine that if you were reading this as a non-believer both the Bible verses and the slightly "preachy" tone would become increasingly irritating.
This gets a solid 3 stars from me - I enjoyed it, I wanted to finish it, it held my interest - but I'm not sure I would want to read another book by the same author.

This is the first book in the new daughters of the Mayflower series. In beginning of the book, Kimberley Woodhouse added a letter to the readers explaining the work involved in writing this book. She said that she carefully researched historical documents and journals to keep the book as accurate as possible. I never realized that that the English of the day didn’t have common spelling, a lot of it was phonetic. If you’ve ever struggled to read children’s phonetic first papers, you will realize how difficult this task actually was. For this story, Woodhouse included some people who actually lived during this time, while making other characters fictional.

This a Christian book, and the author doesn’t only pepper it with a small amount of Christianity, like too many Christian authors do, instead she saturates the pages. You know right from the beginning the characters live devout and pious lives filled with respect, caring and prayer for each other. They are very well portrayed by their actions and words, and I got a real sense of how important their religion was to them.

I will admit that I really disliked history in school. Having to read about past times, that I felt had no relevance to my life, was so boring. The textbooks dull. Books like this have brought the past alive for me in ways that I never before imagined, and I’ve actually become a huge fan of historical fiction, much to own surprise.

Whether you are like me, and hated learning about history in school, or a fan of this genre, I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

The characters will take a hold of your heart, in this deeply poignant story. I was glued to the pages of this story, even though I know the history of the Mayflower, and have read journal accounts of those on board. Kimberley Woodhouse breathes new life into the history of not only the Mayflower but also the beginnings of what would become the United States of America.

This eloquent story gives readers an intimate look at what life was truly like on the Mayflower. The strength of character that is required to embark on a dangerous ocean crossing. No cozy private cabin, only a gun deck shared by strangers and littered with supplies. You won’t find bathrooms, the only privacy provided is a sheet separating your family from the next. No sturdy beds, or even straw mattress, just the blanket you brought (you did pack a blanket, I hope!), and the hard wood-plank floor beneath you.

Come travel across an ocean with the brave colonists on the Mayflower. With little more than the clothes on their backs, into a wild untamed wilderness. Into a vast unknown land fraught with dangers. There wasn’t a sturdy home, and stores filled with supplies on the other side of the voyage. Uncharted land welcomes them to the New World. Mature forests, thick with vegetation, there are no roads or signs to mark the way. It’s the end of fall and the beginning of winter. Will the dwindling supplies hold out until the gardens can be planted and start producing?

With a faith in God, and a desire to bring their families out of the persecution of the Church of England and to a New World where they can openly worship and follow the Bible. The brave Separatists embark on the journey of a lifetime.

I appreciated the strong threads of faith seamlessly woven throughout. I genuinely enjoyed reading this story and I’m eagerly anticipating the stories to follow! I give this story 4.5 stars and encourage you to pick up a copy or request it from your local library. You are sure to not only enjoy yourself, but learn something along the way!

(I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)

It was a really good book! I learned alot of interesting facts! Great love story!

I love history. This book was filled with actual hisrtorical events and it is fascinating. This author did her research. I can't even imagine being on the Mayflower and experiencing all the hardships that they endured. These pilgrims were Faith filled people and knew God had called them to this new land. The story uses fictional characters as for the hero and heroine and the romance was so sweet. What I loved the most besides the history and romance was the inspirational message throughout the book.
*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion

I absolutely loved the history in this book. The author's research was fascinating. I love that the fictional characters were woven in with actual people on the journey. However, I felt like I never really connected with the characters. They didn't have as much depth as I would have liked. But the book was still worth reading for the interesting history.

The Mayflower Bride by Kimberly Woodhouse was an easy read and was not bogged down with a lot of historical details. Mary Elizabeth, Dorothy, William and John Alden's stories were interesting and kept my attention. Conditions and passengers sickness on the Mayflower was eye opening. I would definitely read more of her historical fictions.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and this one definitely satisfies. Character development of Mary Elizabeth is complete and compelling. The reader is rooting for her and feels her emotions just as strongly. Sadly, Williams character could have been developed more robustly, but one can't help but hope for him as well because Mary Elizabeth is so taken with him. My understanding of the Separatist movement is more rounded just from reading this book - it connects some areas for me that I could not relate to. The novel makes me hungry to read more! I read the entire book in one day, yes, it's that good. It's an easy read, and sometimes that is just what one wants, something nice, clean, easy and satisfying. All of those things are here. Thank you Ms. Woodhouse.

I received this book from NetGalley and Barbour Publishing, and thank you Kimberly Woodhouse for writing it.

My goodness the perils the first colonists endured to get religious freedom. Which in turn caused me to not want to put this book down. The story is about Mary Elizabeth Chapman, her brother, and father,. It also follows the lives of her best friend Dorothy, and William Lytton - a carpenter on the Mayflower. The ships encounter setbacks, illness, and terrible seas. But through it all Mary Elizabeth and William find friendship and then love. Departing so late put the Mayflower arriving in the New World later than expected. It also put them in line with terrible storms which cause horrible seasickness -- to which Mary Elizabeth and Dorothy cared for the settlers. Once they reached the New World is when Mary Elizabeth faced her biggest tribulations. But in the end her faith, love for others and William get her through, to which she is truly happy.

This book was very good, you could tell the author did a lot of research into the events of the crossing of the Mayflower and its passengers. The things they encountered on their travels over were so much more than I could ever imagine. I would highly recommend this book to other readers. Now on to the next book.