"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island." - Walt Disney

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

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.

18 comments:

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great book. I follow her blog but have not read her books yet. Thanks for the review.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

Men with secrets in their pasts make you want to uncover the secret. I think that's part of the appeal for sure.

Jai said...

Sounds interesting. Thanks for the review.

WrightStuff said...

Sounds like a great read. I'll have to check it out :)

Thanks for your visit. It's so lovely to find all these new blogs and bloggers!

Unknown said...

I have so many books on my list to read. I don't usually read romance books, I like mystery/syfy and comedy.

Thanks of stopping by my blog, I am following you GFC.

http://www.AMomsPointOfView.com

Paula said...

Thanks for visiting my blog today. This sounds like a great book

Anonymous said...

This sounds like a super good book! The cover is especially attractive. ;)

Grammy said...

Oh, wow! Sounds like my kind of book! A love mystery, and historical, to boot. Best regards to you. Ruby.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Sounds excellent. I love historicals.

Sonnia J. Kemmer said...

Nice blog page. New follower here, too. Thanks for following and commenting at my page. :-)

From A to Z Challenge,
Sonnia J. Kemmer

Su-sieee! Mac said...

Does she have a challenge! I bet some pzzsazz takes place when the true groom shows up.

Don't be a Hippie
Take 25 to Hollister

Marie said...

Great idea for the A to Z challenge, and I love the name of your blog. As a child, I grew up in the "Wonderland" neighborhood of Beaverton, Oregon, where all the street names were in the theme of Alice in Wonderland.

barnalisaha said...

Hmm...this sounds like a delicious book, and your writing made it doubly scrumptious!

Loved your blog, will be a regular visitor:-)
http://barnalisahabanerjee.blogspot.in/

Mary Kirkland said...

Thanks for letting us know about this book.

Dark Thoughts Blog

Maggid said...

Jody Hedlund has has certainly been blessed by your enthusiasm. Your post is sure to sell many of her books AND earn her countless new fans.

I am so happy to be here, reading your blog. I surfed around a bit - all I can say is WOW!"

Thank you for sharing with all of us.
Happy A to Z,
-g-

Cat said...

Sounds like a really good book. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Unknown said...

Looks yummy! Just stopping by for the A-Z Challenge. Please check us out and sign up to follow if you like what you see. Juliet atCity Muse Country Muse

Unknown said...

Looks good! I'll have to check it out!