Noble Groom

It’s official. Jody Hedlund is a master of conflict. Man vs. man, man vs. society, man vs. nature, man vs. self… her newest book has them all. I loved A Noble Groom.

Recently widowed Annalisa Werner has the feeling her husband was murdered, but can't prove it. Alone with her young daughter and pregnant with a second child in 1881 Michigan, she has six months left to finish raising the money needed to pay back the land contract on her farm. The land is difficult to toil by herself, a drought and wildfires increase the danger to her family, and a greedy land owner wants to force the purchase of her land. She needs a husband. With unmarried men scarce, her father sends a letter to his brother in the Old Country, asking him to find Annalisa a groom.

For nobleman Carl von Reichert, the blade of the guillotine is his fate. He's been accused and convicted of a serious crime he didn't commit, and his only escape is to flee to a small German community in Michigan where he'll be safe. He secures a job on Annalisa's farm but bumbles through learning about farming and manual labor.

Annalisa senses that Carl is harboring a secret about his past, yet she finds herself drawn to him anyway. He's gentle, kind, and romantic--unlike any of the men she's ever known. He begins to restore her faith in the ability to love--but her true groom is still on his way. And time is running out on them all.

What I love most about Hedlunds books is her ability to completely immerse the reader in the tale. I empathize with the heroine, fall in love with the hero, and despise the villain(s). Her lengthy research and knowledge of the time period is obvious and naturally employed to give the reader an honest depiction of life for her characters. I absolutely hate for her books to end.

I highly recommend A Noble Groom and eagerly anticipate the release of her next novel in September.