A Reluctant Bride is a story of a poor English woman that accepts the opportunity to board a ship to go to America, but she doesn't understand that she is going as a bride. She is to marry a man once she arrives. During the journey, she meets and falls in love with the ship doctor, even though she insists on remaining unmarried. It's a lovely tale and I greatly enjoyed reading it..

I really enjoyed reading A Reluctant Bride. Jody Hedlund is a talented author and her books are hard to put down. I enjoyed learning about the harsh living conditions in the London slums and the bride ships. The reason I am not giving a full five stars is for the focus on the physical aspect of Mercy’s and Josheph’s relationship. There was too much physical heat so to speak.

Oh I loved how this one was based on a story from history! Don't get me wrong, I love historical fiction normally but I loved how this one used a true story to inspire the reluctant bride and her doctor.

A RELUCTANT BRIDE by JODY HEDLUND is a beautifully written love story that takes place in the most unpleasant situation imaginable. Lord Joseph Colville, the ship's surgeon on the Tynemouth, and Mercy Wilkins, get to know one another whilst working amongst the sick, often literally in the bowels of the ship. There is huge class distinction at play here, with Mercy having escaped the poverty of the London slums by joining the "bride ship", although she has no intention of getting married or bringing any more children into the world, and Joseph who everyone feels is way above her in station. Their relationship is misconstrued by those who are either jealous or legalistic, but, as we see their humility and compassion in ministering to the sick, we see the love of Jesus working through them.
Both Joseph and Mercy have been defined by sadness in their past, and we see how the Lord delivers them from this as they turn to Him. In Joseph's case, he deals with it by running away from his responsibilities. Mercy learns to stand up for herself as a child of God when she feels the love of those she befriends on this new voyage, leaving behind the memory of her mother's lack of affection towards her, and of being in a place where there is neither room nor food for her. We wonder if anything will develop out of this unusual friendship that has so much against it!
It is an emotional story of second chances and unconditional love, as contrasted with the horrors of social injustice and man's inhumanity rowards his fellow man. The filth and overcrowding in the slums in London during the 1860's, leading to sickness and death in many instances, is well portrayed. The author has done a great deal of research into the history of the time, and, in fact the voyage on the Tynemouth did take place much as it is described in the story.
Having read the author's Orphan Train series, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I was delighted to read about the "bride ships". The author has an in incredible understanding of human nature and describes what the characters are going through, so that we know what they are feeling. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
I was given a free copy of the book by NatGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

Anything by Hedlund is worth reading, but A Reluctant Bride is a real treat. Rooted in history this book is authentic to its setting of 1862. an era when Bride Ships were indeed sailing with women aboard set to marry stranger -- English colonists in the New World. The book introduces Mercy Wilkins, a kind and loving young woman who has seen and experienced some of the worst of the effects of extreme poverty, but who largely manages to stay positive and look ahead. She meets Lord Joseph Colville who is also a medical doctor with a caring heart. They end up being on the same ship, Mercy as a reluctant bride-to-be, and Joseph as the ship's doctor. What the reader can see as a perfect match is thwarted by many obstacles including position in society and weath (or lack thereof). Themes in the book include misunderstandings, the role poverty and low social rank play in self-esteem, our worth to God, and following His calling. This first book in THE BRIDE SHIPS series is a delight that makes me look forward to others in the series. I'm happy to give this book five solid stars.

I've been a fan of Jody Hedlund's novels that retell fairy tales. Her new novel, A Reluctant Bride, is the first of her historical fiction novels that I've read. While the idea of vicariously experiencing what a bride ship might be like is interesting, I find that the novel is much too focused on the love story aspect for me. In fact, what I appreciated about her fairy tale novels is that they focus more on the heroines of each story and their unique life experiences their struggles and their growth, while the love stories were just in the background.

Don't get me wrong, A Relcutant Gride is a good read and an escape from every day life. But in a world where romance novels (yes, even the Christian ones) follow a pattern and usually present men as more emotive and communicative than in real life, I find they often set up relationships and marriages to fail. So when a book focuses more on the love story aspect than the characters' real-life struggles, growth and transformation, the plot loses something for me. Again, it's a Christian tale, so you won't find any of the garbage you'd find in secular novels. It's entertaining and clean. If that's what you're looking for, the Hedlund's novel A Reluctant Bride will not disappoint.

My thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
For those who enjoy historical romance, this tale of a young girl who signs up to sail from London to British Columbia, Canada to become the future bride of a miner will be of interest. It wasn't to my taste, and I found the romance between the ship's surgeon and Mercy to be improbable. Yes, Mercy is a pretty, kind and decent girl, but it was Joseph Colville's character that didn't ring true. In her Acknowledgement, the author reveals that a ship's doctor had in fact married one of the "miners' brides" but in this story, Joseph Colville is a wealthy and titled peer of England, as well as being a doctor. That was stretching it a bit for me. I rate this a 3 out of 5.